Latvia to bankroll Ukraine weapons purchase through NATO program, full sum disclosed

On Tuesday, August 12, following a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa announced that the country is joining NATO’s new mechanism, the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), with a financial contribution of at least €2 million.

The initiative provides for the centralized purchase of critically needed weapons and military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including air defense systems.

According to Siliņa, the exact amount Latvia will allocate will be determined later.

This step aligns with US President Donald Trump’s call through NATO to step up support for Ukraine by providing it with advanced defense capabilities.

New NATO arms program for Ukraine

A new NATO initiative, known as PURL (Priority Ukraine Request List), involves creating a special Alliance account where partner countries can transfer funds for the purchase of US-made weapons.

Ukraine, in turn, will compile a list of needed armaments and submit it directly to NATO. After that, General Christopher G. Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, will assess the availability of the required stockpiles in the United States and the feasibility of their delivery.

Last week, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden announced their contribution under this program - they will fund a $500 million package of weapons and ammunition to be purchased from the US.

Now, Latvia has also shown its readiness to support Ukraine. This time, Riga is contributing to a larger-scale and more systematic assistance mechanism, which could become key in meeting the most urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Ukraine and Germany have discussed the delivery timeline for Patriot air defense systems.

Notably, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that arms supplies to Ukraine will continue regardless of the outcome of the upcoming US–Russia talks.