Ukrainian defense minister names new countries joining PURL program
Photo: Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal (facebook.com/dshmyhal)
During today's Ramstein meeting, several partner countries announced new contributions to the PURL program for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
"Ukraine must be strong on the battlefield. I am grateful to our partners from Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Norway, and Slovenia for announcing new contributions to the latest PURL package. I also thank the countries that decided to join the initiative," Shmyhal said.
He noted that the initiative allows Ukraine to procure urgently needed weapons to save lives.
At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a briefing after the Ramstein meeting that Ukraine has received commitments from 17 NATO member states to join the financing of the PURL program.
He said that at the start of the day, six NATO members had commitments for PURL: the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, but after today's meeting, more than half of all Alliance members — 17 countries — have pledged support for PURL.
Rutte did not specify the full list of countries that joined the initiative.
About the PURL program
PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) is a joint US-NATO program designed to accelerate the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. It involves creating and providing allies with a list of Ukraine's most urgent weapon needs.
Partners then fund the purchase of American weapons according to these requests. Funds are transferred to a special NATO account, after which the United States delivers the weapons directly.
In September, it became known that the administration of US President Donald Trump approved the first two military aid packages for Ukraine under the PURL program.
On October 14, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said new announcements on weapon deliveries to Ukraine via PURL are expected this week.
