In a joint appearance in Brussels, the foreign ministers of Poland, Norway and Germany say that they are jointly investing 500 million US dollars – 4.7 billion Swedish kronor – in the so-called PURL initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
Do the same, is the call to others within NATO.
Above all, we hope that other member states see this as an encouragement to also use this program so that Putin understands the message and Ukraine gets a just peace, says Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in the speech.
Russia doesn't want to?
So far, four billion dollars have been pledged under PURL since last summer, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The hope is that another billion will be secured before the end of the year.
Sweden has already contributed money to PURL twice before. Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) would like to see many people give more.
"I don't think Russia wants to sign any peace agreement and certainly no agreement that we can support. Therefore, we have to change the equation: increase pressure on Russia, increase support for Ukraine," she says on her way to Wednesday's meeting with her NATO foreign minister colleagues.
“Typical Putin”
Several of the participants condemn the Russian president's rhetoric from Tuesday when he accused Europe of wanting war and promised that "we are ready."
It's typical of Putin and we know that: they want to pick a fight and don't hesitate to take measures that we wouldn't do, says Malmer Stenergard.
This is the rhetoric that Russia uses when they want to scare us and we should not take it seriously, urges Finland's Elina Valtonen.
NATO chief Rutte, for his part, chooses a cautious tone in his statements about the peace talks in Moscow.
"I don't want to comment on every step. But last night was important," Rutte said in Brussels, continuing to praise the US efforts.
Hopefully it will lead to results, says the Secretary General.
