"Firepower. That's what's coming. That's what we expect from NATO." US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made it very clear what the Trump administration wants from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He wants the capability commitments reached at the Hague summit to translate into more weapons and, in addition, more and more allies to join the PURL program, which envisions European countries buying weapons from the US to send to Ukraine.

"The initiative by which European countries buy American weapons that are transferred to NATO for the fight in Ukraine, in order to bring peace to that conflict," explained the head of the Pentagon during the meeting of defense ministers of the Alliance that took place in Brussels."Our expectation is that more countries will donate even more, that they will buy even more, to provide Ukraine with the necessary means to bring that conflict to a peaceful conclusion," he stressed.

According to the Trump administration official, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have already participated in the purchase of arms from the United States worth $2 billion. That's just over €1.7 billion. He added that just over half of the 32 NATO allies plan to participate in the initiative.

Finland, for example, has announced that it will join the plan."We know that these weapons are crucial for Ukraine. All European countries should be able to participate in this program," said the country's defense minister, Antti Häkkänen, in statements reported by Efe. The Spanish minister for the department, Margarita Robles, did not rule out the possibility of Spain doing the same. Belgium, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg are also considering joining.

And German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that his country will increase its purchases of U.S. arms by $500 million (€429 million)."Germany's package addresses a number of Ukraine's urgent needs. It provides air defense systems, Patriot missile interceptors, radar and precision-guided artillery systems, rockets, and ammunition," he said.

Pete Hegseth also asserted that the war in Ukraine began before Trump took office, but" will end under his watch." "If there's one thing we've learned under President Trump, it's the active application of the principle of peace through strength. Peace is achieved when you are strong, not when you use strong words or shake your finger. It's achieved when you have solid, real capabilities that your adversaries respect," he added.

And if that doesn't work, if all of the above isn't enough, the US representative said his country is willing to impose sanctions on Vladimir Putin."If we must take this step, the Department of Defense is prepared to do our part in ways that only the United States can," he stressed.

For Ukraine, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal has indicated that his country will need $120 billion next year, or about €103 billion."Ukraine will cover half, €60 billion, from our national resources. We are asking partners to join us in covering the other half," he said. And this, in addition to NATO and the PURL program, is where the European Commission's desire to use the frozen assets that Russia has accumulated with Euroclear comes in.

Next week, also in Brussels and during the meeting of presidents and prime ministers, this will be one of the main issues: how to approach the use of €185 billion in Russian liquidity without it appearing to be a confiscation. Although in reality, it is, or at least looks very similar.