Trump and Rutte push Meloni as Italy faces pressure to enter PURL program for Ukraine

“We know that pressure has been put on Meloni, and reportedly Trump himself asked the prime minister to make an effort,” La Stampa writes.

At the same time, La Stampa added that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was the strongest advocate for Italy’s participation in the PURL program.

“(He insisted — ed.), understanding that only through this tool could arms procurement for Kyiv be stimulated and the North Atlantic Alliance consolidated,” the media explains.

Meloni, meanwhile, remains cautious due to concerns about domestic political issues. Just two days ago, the right-wing populist party Lega angered her in parliament, responding with the slogan ‘more weapons, less healthcare.’

The Five Star Movement also announced that Senator Bruno Marton, leader of the group in the Defense Committee, will send a request to the current defense minister to clarify whether Italy will join PURL and where it intends to find the necessary resources.

A few days ago, Bloomberg reported that Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto initiated Italy’s potential participation in US arms purchases for Ukraine under the PURL mechanism.

PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) is a joint US–NATO initiative aimed at supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Under this program, a list of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ priority needs is compiled and shared with partner countries. Once approved, states allocate funding for the purchase of American weapons. In other words, NATO provides the funding, and the US supplies the weapons.

In mid-October, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported that 17 Alliance countries had joined the PURL initiative.