Italy will join in financing defense assistance to Ukraine through PURL
Italy, which had previously taken a reserved position, has unofficially agreed to join the group of NATO allies that finance the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine under the PURL program (Procurement for Ukraine by Allies & Partners of Requisite Lethality).
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing informed sources.
According to the agency, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated Rome’s readiness to support the PURL mechanism during a recent meeting of the heads of defense departments of NATO member countries.
Although Italy initially refrained from participating, arguing that Ukraine had other sources of arms procurement, its position was reconsidered. According to sources, the reason was concerns that if the PURL program were to be expanded on a large scale, the country would risk being left out of the main processes of assistance to Kyiv.
Financing conditions for Ukraine are becoming increasingly urgent, especially against the backdrop of the growing threat from Russia. After the US announced in the summer that it would stop funding new arms supplies, European allies were forced to look for other formats of support. The PURL program provides for the purchase of critically important American weapons for Ukraine – for example, Patriot missile defense systems – with funds from NATO partners.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that more than half of the alliance’s 32 member states had already agreed to provide funding under the initiative. However, as of September, the actual amount raised was about $2 billion — significantly less than Ukraine’s needs, especially given Russia’s massive attacks on critical infrastructure.
Italy has already provided military aid to Kyiv in at least ten packages, but the details remain classified. According to sources, Rome has provided Ukraine with air defense systems, including SAMP/T installations.
Recall that more than half of NATO member states agreed to participate in the PURL program , which involves the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine at the expense of European allies.
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