A weapon is more important than the “Made in EU” label. The head of NATO is putting pressure on Brussels

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte believes that European Union countries should show flexibility regarding Ukraine's use of the EU loan of EUR 90 billion to purchase weapons and support the Ukrainian budget.

The head of the Alliance said on Monday during a meeting of the Security and Defense Committee (SEDE) of the European Parliament that the European Union should not impose the “buy in the EU” rule on Ukraine at all costs.

– I strongly appeal for flexibility in the way these funds are spent and to avoid excessive restrictions in the form of “buy in the EU” orders – he emphasized.

– Europe is currently building its defense industry, which is crucial, but at the moment it is not able to provide Ukraine with enough resources to defend itself today and be able to deter in the future – he added.

Last week, the European Parliament voted in favor of granting a loan of EUR 90 billion by the European Union to Ukraine. The procedure was approved with 499 votes in favor, 135 against and 24 abstentions.

The loan was agreed at the EU summit in Brussels on December 18, 2025. As the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia withdrew their support for the loan, the agreement was concluded under the enhanced cooperation procedure – a mechanism enabling interested EU countries to cooperate in specific areas. In accordance with the Treaties, the enhanced cooperation procedure requires the consent of the European Parliament.

In January, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed that EUR 60 billion of the EUR 90 billion should go to military support, and EUR 30 billion to budgetary purposes and reforms.

Funds for military purposes, as she said then, would be used to purchase equipment mainly from Ukraine and the European Union. – If it is not possible to buy the necessary equipment in this region, (…) sometimes there may be a need to purchase equipment from outside the European Union and from outside the region – added von der Leyen.

This means a restriction on the possibility of purchasing American equipment, which also applies to the program of co-financing defense purchases in member states – SAFE.

The loan will be taken out on the capital markets by the European Commission and will be secured by the EU budget. Ukraine will repay it when it receives reparations from Russia. Until then – in accordance with the decisions of the EU summit – Russian assets will remain frozen.

EU Commissioner for Financial Affairs Valdis Dombrovskis, asked earlier whether the EU would be able to take out the loan before April, when Ukraine will be left without money, replied that he expected the legislative work to be completed in early March.

– At the same time, we cooperate with other international partners who provide financial support to Ukraine. We want them to pay their contributions already in the first quarter of this year to cover the financing gap, (…) and I can say that this work is also progressing quite successfully, Dombrovskis said.

From Brussels Łukasz Osiński (PAP)

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