NATO members have started moving weapons to Kyiv under a new Trump-led initiative that leaves US taxpayers off the hook.

AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The Netherlands said on Monday it will contribute 500 million euros ($578 million) to purchase U.S. military equipment for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO country to contribute to a new mechanism to supply Kyiv with American weapons.

After a recent deal for European NATO allies to purchase American weapons, including Patriot missiles, Ukraine is waiting anxiously to see if these arrangements can deliver the defensive firepower it so urgently needs.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about "the recent drone incidents".View on euronews

The request for enhanced air defenses comes after a second Russian drone with explosives was retrieved in Lithuania in less than a month.

NATO and European Union member Lithuania borders Russia and Moscow's ally, Belarus. The letter from Lithuania's foreign and defence ministers to NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte said the alliance must show it is ready to defend "every centimetre of its territory".