The defense secretary’s attendance may signal a turnaround as President Trump’s tone shifts on his willingness to support Kyiv against Moscow.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to meet President Donald Trump this week on the heels of the U.S. leader announcing plans to sell NATO allies weaponry that they can then pass on to Ukraine.

In very concrete terms, Germany is demonstrating leadership of Europe and the larger Atlantic area alliance in creating the path to greater defense spending.

The meeting between the two top US and German officials comes following an announcement by US President Donald Trump that NATO members would purchase billions' worth of US weaponry to send to Ukraine.

At the NATO meeting, which saw leaders green-light a massive increase to the alliance's defence spending target, Trump listened to speeches by all 32 member states, Merz said. "He listens, he asks ...

The virtual meeting will be lead by British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. Healey said U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, will attend the meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Economists had already downgraded growth for the European Union, and the new duties would hit industries there especially hard. Companies are looking for ways to blunt the impact.