Estonia joins PURL initiative to buy US weapons for Ukraine
Estonian President Alar Karis (photo: Getty Images)
Estonian President Alar Karis stated that Tallinn will join the PURL initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine, according to his press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Estonia is officially joining the PURL initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
"I want to state today that Estonia supports this initiative fully, and we will gladly participate in that effort," Karis stated.
The President noted that his country will continue to support Ukraine. This year alone, Tallinn has spent 0.3% of GDP on direct military assistance to Kyiv.
Karis stressed that the Estonian defense industry is actively expanding cooperation with Ukrainian enterprises in the military sphere.
The head of state added that the Estonian government is ready to provide troops to the Coalition of the Willing to ensure peace in Ukraine.
At the same time, he emphasized that Tallinn will continue to support Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations and its path to NATO.
PURL initiative
PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) is a new mechanism of military assistance to Ukraine launched by the United States and NATO. It allows partner countries to finance the purchase of American weapons and equipment for Ukraine, which speeds up their delivery.
The Netherlands, Germany, and Canada have already joined the program, making significant contributions to financing the procurement of weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Coalition of the Willing
On August 20, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that Tallinn is ready to send a peacekeeping military contingent consisting of one company to Ukraine within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing.
Earlier, Germany stated that it rejects the possibility of deploying its military contingent in Ukraine. They said that Berlin had already deployed a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. Therefore, additional deployment of soldiers in Ukraine would be an excessive burden for Germany.
The day before, the Coalition of the Willing confirmed its readiness to deploy deterrence forces after the cessation of hostilities, as well as to provide assistance in ensuring the security of Ukraine's air and maritime space and in rebuilding the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
