Lithuania contributes 30 million for US weapons purchases for Ukraine
Lithuania to provide 30 million for US weapons purchases for Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
Lithuania has announced its participation in the PURL program. The country will provide 30 million dollars for the purchase of weapons in the United States to be delivered to Ukraine, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said at a briefing ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, according to LRT.
"Regarding Ukraine, Lithuania will contribute 30 million dollars to the PURL fund today. We can transfer these funds already today if necessary, and we very much hope that the next package will be formed as soon as possible," Šakalienė said.
She also emphasized the need to increase defense spending among NATO countries and announced that starting next year, Lithuania will allocate 5% of its GDP to defense.
"We do not need 5% defense spending in 10 or 15 years — we need it now. Lithuania is spending more than 4% this year, and we plan to exceed 5% already next year, because we understand that we are racing against time," the minister stressed.
What is PURL
The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative was established through an agreement among the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The mechanism allows NATO member states and partners to finance the supply of American weapons and technologies to Ukraine through voluntary contributions.
Within the program, a prioritized list of necessary weapons and ammunition is compiled based on Ukraine's requests, coordinated with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). New aid packages are announced regularly.
NATO coordinates the deliveries, particularly through the NATO Security Assistance and Training to Ukraine (NSATU) mechanism.
Who joined the initiative?
Six countries have allocated funds to purchase US weapons for Ukraine under the PURL initiative.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed confidence that more allies will join the program.
It is also known that Slovenia has contributed funds for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine, although the amount has not been disclosed.
Today, ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he expects more countries to make additional contributions under PURL.
By the way, on September 18, a NATO representative told RBC-Ukraine that the first weapons under the PURL program had already arrived in Ukraine.
