NATO Secretary General: Europe is willing to sponsor US arms supply to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday called on the United States to continue supplying arms to Ukraine and said Europe would pay for it.

Rutte told an event at the World Economic Forum that NATO must invest more in defense, boost defense industry production and take greater financial responsibility for aiding Ukraine.

"In the case of Ukraine, we also need the participation of the United States.

"If the Trump administration is willing to continue to supply weapons to Ukraine from its defense industrial base, then the money will be paid by the Europeans, I have no doubt about that, and we have to be willing to do that."

Rutte's comments came after Trump said this week that the European Union should do more to support Ukraine.

In Davos, Rutte also said it was vital that Russia did not win because it could lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin "high-fiving" the leaders of North Korea and China.

"We really have to increase, not decrease, our support for Ukraine," Rutte said.

"The situation on the front is going in the wrong direction."