Italy agrees to purchase US weapons for Ukraine – Bloomberg

Italy has privately expressed readiness to join the group of NATO allies financing US weapons purchases for Ukraine under the special PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) programme.

Source: Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter

Details: According to Bloomberg, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced Italy's willingness to join the PURL mechanism during last week's meeting of NATO defence ministers.

Quote: "Italy initially opposed participating in the programme, saying other avenues were available for Ukraine to source weapons. The change in position was partly motivated by the concern that Italy could be sidelined if the programme becomes dominated by some allies, the people said."

Details: The search for new sources of funding for Ukraine – now in its fourth year of resisting Russia's full-scale invasion – has become increasingly urgent. The situation worsened over the summer when the United States announced it would no longer directly pay for weapons for Kyiv, prompting European allies to look for alternative ways to provide support.

Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that more than half of the alliance's 32 members had agreed to allocate funds to help Ukraine purchase US-made weapons through the PURL mechanism. However, as of September, Ukraine had secured only around US$2 billion from six countries – far less than needed, especially amid intensified Russian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure.

Italy has already provided at least ten military aid packages, the details of which remain classified. According to Bloomberg sources, Rome's contributions have included air defence systems, notably an SAMP/T battery.

For reference: The PURL programme enables Ukraine to directly purchase US-made weapons, including much-needed Patriot air defence systems, using funds contributed mainly by European partners.

Background:

• In August, Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that the United States and NATO had launched this new mechanism for providing military aid to Ukraine, which channels partner contributions to finance American weapon supplies.
• According to media reports, countries that have not yet joined the PURL programme are facing increasing pressure to do so.

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