WP: European allies concerned about future of US weapons supplies to Ukraine

European allies are becoming increasingly concerned about the viability of the US weapons supply programme for Ukraine, known as the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), as the war in Iran rapidly depletes American stockpiles. Some donor countries have also begun questioning the transparency surrounding the Pentagon's spending of the allocated funds.

Source: The Washington Post, citing 10 European and American diplomats, officials and congressional aides

Details: Officials say that Trump's administration has not shipped weapons intended for Ukraine since the strikes against Iran began. European officials are increasingly worried that shortages in US arms supplies, which are already affecting their own defence orders, could also delay deliveries to Ukraine.

European countries are purchasing American weapons for Kyiv under the PURL programme launched last summer. The initiative was designed to secure weapons that only the Pentagon can provide, particularly interceptor missiles for air defence systems used to protect Ukrainian cities from Russian strikes.

The programme also became a political victory for President Donald Trump, who had pledged not to spend US taxpayers' money on Ukraine.

Quote: "But in recent months, some European capitals have grown more sceptical about the programme, with some even hesitant to pledge new funds, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private concerns.

'Europeans are hesitating because there's growing mistrust and lack of certainty on what will happen with money' as the Iran war drags on, one European official said. 'There have been contributions [to PURL] but not too many.'"

"The Trump administration for the past year has also pressured European capitals to buy US weapons for their own defences as NATO countries rush to increase military spending. But faced with diminished Pentagon stockpiles, allies from Europe to East Asia now expect to wait years to receive equipment they already purchased, the people said."

"While the Pentagon has weighed rerouting orders to the Middle East, a senior Pentagon and NATO official reassured a gathering of Kyiv's backers in April that deliveries to Ukraine through PURL would 'continue as planned,' according to two European officials."

Details: One NATO representative said countries had allocated more than US$5.5 billion, including recent contributions from Norway and Canada. According to the official, allies "continue to contribute to PURL", while urgently needed American weapons funded by partner countries continue arriving in Ukraine and "make a real difference on the battlefield".

Meanwhile, allied mistrust is growing following reports that the Pentagon plans to use US$750 million from the PURL fund to reimburse the cost of equipment transferred to Ukraine during Joe Biden's administration, rather than for new military aid.

Officials on both sides of the Atlantic have questioned whether using the money in this way contradicts European expectations that all contributions would directly support Kyiv.

"This is a programme that should be one for one: a dollar in, a dollar of new capabilities out to Europe," an aide to a US senator said.

A senior Pentagon official did not deny that some of the funds could be used to replenish US stockpiles. However, the official described such discussions as "an invitation for Europe to grow its industrial capacity".

According to a Pentagon representative, the list of weapons and equipment available for purchase under the programme is agreed with Ukraine, US European Command and senior officials at the Department of Defense, who assesses the potential risks to US military readiness. The list includes both newly manufactured weapons and equipment already held in US military stockpiles.

In addition, several sources told the newspaper that equipment supplied through PURL does not include the most advanced weapons systems requested by Kyiv.

Officials also said that Ukraine has nearly exhausted its PAC-3 interceptor missile stocks for Patriot air defence systems, apart from a very limited number being carefully distributed across the country. The Trump administration urged European states to transfer their own missile stockpiles to Ukraine, but some refused out of concern for their own security.

NATO officials said that most missiles for Ukraine's Patriot batteries, including PAC-3 interceptors, and ammunition for other air defence systems, have been supplied through the PURL mechanism.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!