India, June 3 -- The number Mark Rutte put on the table Wednesday was the biggest yet for NATO's weapons-purchase program. But it arrived on the same morning Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood before cameras and described a Russian strike that no amount of pledged money, by itself, could have stopped.

NATO's secretary general made an unannounced appearance in Kyiv, stepping off a night train at the city's central station alongside the permanent representatives of all thirty-two alliance members - the North Atlantic Council, convened on Ukrainian soil for only the second time since Russia launched its military operation in February 2022. Speaking to reporters, Rutte said allied nations have now collectively pledged nearly $6 billion through the P...