Nato to boost Ukraine aid after Putin's 'ready for war' threat

Nato foreign ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday to accelerate defence investments amid concerns that US-mediated peace talks are floundering, as tensions rise among European allies over how to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a statement before the closed-door meeting, saying European states and Canada are "really stepping up defence investments, and that's good, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels – we all need to pull our weight and fast".

In a highly unusual move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped the meeting, but his European counterparts played down the significance of his absence. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said he understood Mr Rubio was busy dealing with international crises, including in Gaza and Venezuela.

'Destiny on the line'

The meeting took place hours after high-stakes US-Russia talks in Moscow appeared to yield little. Europeans have largely been sidelined in recent US mediation efforts during an intense week of diplomacy, with negotiators shuttling between Geneva, Miami and Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his lead negotiator Rustem Umerov is expected in Brussels on Wednesday to hold talks with European national security advisers before returning to the US.

Any plan must be to end the war for good and not merely lead to a temporary pause in the fighting that began with Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Mr Zelenskyy said this week.

Mr Umerov was in Florida on Sunday to further press Ukrainian demands to a US delegation led by Mr Rubio. US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff also took part in the meeting before travelling to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It is understood the original 28-point plan presented to Mr Putin, which was widely described as being favourable to Russia, has been altered under European and Ukrainian pressure during talks in Switzerland on November 23. "So far we haven't found a compromise, but some American solutions can be discussed," senior Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said after the meeting in the Kremlin.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, left, with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Moscow. Reuters

In Brussels, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said while Mr Trump was "pursuing a just and lasting peace", Russia had shown no sign of engaging meaningfully in discussions and escalated its attacks against Ukraine, including strikes against its energy infrastructure. Ms Cooper announced an additional £10 million ($13.3 million) to support energy infrastructure repair.

Norway, Germany and Poland also pledged a joint $500 million donation for Ukraine to purchase US military equipment. "Europe's security is on the line. Europe's destiny is on the line," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said.

'Sabre-rattling'

Mr Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was "ready right now" if Europe wanted to start a war, remarks that have caused alarm among Nato members. Mr van Weel said the "horrible comments" were a "serious warning" to Europe that it should increase defence spending. Speaking to Sky News, Ms Cooper described it as the "same old sabre-rattling" from Mr Putin.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, left, with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, at a Nato summit in Brussels. Reuters

Referring to recent sabotage on a Polish rail track attributed to Russia that was "clearly meant to kill Polish citizens", Poland's Foreign Minister