US to ask NATO allies for extra funding for Ukraine weapons program PURL

In brief

• The US plans to ask NATO allies for extra money for the PURL program that buys American weapons for Ukraine.
• Approved packages are reportedly short by about $2 billion.
• Deliveries continue even before allies pay, and the gap could grow if more shipments are approved.
• The request could come this month, though the total amount is not yet known.

Funding gap in approved packages

Washington intends to press NATO allies to provide additional money for PURL, the mechanism through which European countries and others pay for U.S.-made arms sent to Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. (США готують звернення до НАТО щодо програми постачання зброї для України, - Bloomberg – UNIAN) The request could come as early as this month.

Sources say the shortfall for packages already approved stands at roughly $2 billion. The total amount the U.S. would seek has not been disclosed.

Deliveries continue ahead of payment

The United States keeps supplying weapons to Kyiv even before allies have transferred the money to cover them, the sources said. If the Pentagon decides to make further deliveries, the funding gap could widen.

Support despite tensions

The initiative suggests the Pentagon has kept Ukraine's arms pipeline running despite sharp public disagreements between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sources say U.S. defense companies continue to play a central role in supplying Ukraine, and shipments went on even at times when political relations were strained.

What comes next

No formal request has been reported yet, and it is unclear which allies would be approached first or how much each would be asked to contribute.