US and NATO to launch new system to fund Ukraine’s weapons
Military aid from the US (Photo: Getty Images)
The US and NATO are developing a new mechanism for supplying weapons to Ukraine. The system is designed to speed up all processes, as American weapons will be provided to Kyiv using NATO funds, according to Reuters.
The outlet recalled that in July, US President Donald Trump promised that the US would supply weapons to Ukraine using money from NATO allies. However, Trump did not reveal any details on how this would work.
Currently, the US, NATO, and Ukraine are collaborating on a new mechanism primarily focused on delivering high-priority weapons. Ukraine will determine the priority of the arms it needs to receive.
For their part, NATO allies, under the coordination of the Alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte, will negotiate among themselves to either fund or donate weapons from the list. Deliveries will be divided into tranches of approximately $500 million each and will be carried out under Ukraine’s Priority Requirements List (PURL).
In total, NATO allies plan to arm Ukraine with $10 billion worth of weapons. However, the timeline for deliveries remains unclear.
“That is the starting point, and it's an ambitious target that we're working towards. We're currently on that trajectory. We support the ambition. We need that sort of volume,” one European official told reporters.
How the mechanism will work
Donating weapons to Ukraine will significantly speed up their delivery by bypassing the lengthy bureaucratic procedures in the US. However, Ukraine will be required to pay the US in advance to quickly replenish the transferred weapons.
The funds will be transferred to accounts belonging to the US government. This could be a special account within the US Department of the Treasury or a dedicated fund - the exact structure still needs to be determined.
There is also another option: a NATO country could simply pay Washington through NATO structures or directly transfer funds to the Pentagon in exchange for delivering the necessary weapons to Ukraine. US officials believe this will effectively complement America’s efforts to supply Ukraine with arms.
“At least one tranche of weapons for Ukraine is currently being negotiated under the new mechanism, two sources said, though it was unclear if any money has yet been transferred,” the outlet added.
Europe will buy US weapons for Ukraine
The US and NATO have reached an agreement that provides for sending American weapons to Ukraine at the expense of European countries. Thanks to this deal, Ukraine will receive $10 billion worth of American-made weapons, purchased by European nations.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, under the agreement, Ukraine may receive a large number of air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition. The US itself will not deliver the weapons directly to Ukraine. Instead, NATO countries are expected to supply them from their own stockpiles and later replenish those supplies.
However, as US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker explained, Washington is still aiming to deliver weapons to Ukraine quickly in line with President Donald Trump’s plan for European-funded arms purchases. That’s why the US is considering selling Patriot air defense systems from its own reserves.
