“NATO Boosts Ukraine Arms Funding As Allies Urge Putin To Drop ‘Bluster’ And Engage In Real Peace Talks”

NATO member states on Wednesday pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in additional U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine, as alliance leaders warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon “bluster” and engage seriously in peace negotiations.

Foreign ministers from the 32-nation bloc met in Brussels to discuss Washington’s renewed push to end the conflict, though U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was notably absent, sending a deputy in his place. The meeting followed a five-hour session between U.S. envoys and Putin in Moscow — talks that yielded no significant breakthrough.

“The peace talks are ongoing, that’s good,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said. “But while they continue — and we don’t know when they will conclude — Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position to keep fighting.”

Germany, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada announced they would collectively contribute roughly $1 billion to a program for purchasing American weapons for Kyiv. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stressed NATO’s resolve: “Ukraine needs to stay strong — and we, the allies in the largest and most successful military alliance in history, need to stay firm.”

The absence of Rubio risked reinforcing Europe’s perception of being sidelined in U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring the war to an end.

Several foreign ministers said Putin had shown no willingness so far to make concessions in talks with U.S. representatives. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper urged Moscow to shift course: “President Putin should end the bluster and the bloodshed and be ready to support a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”

Allies also dismissed Putin’s recent remarks that he did not seek conflict with Europe but was “ready” for war. Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called the comments an intimidation tactic. “We shouldn’t take such talk too seriously. NATO and Europe have strong capabilities — and we are strengthening them every day,” she said.