WASHINGTON — The United States plans to ask NATO allies to contribute more money to a key program that buys American weapons for Ukraine, with a funding gap of about $2 billion for already-approved packages, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The request for more funding to NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, known as PURL, could come as soon as this month, and the U.S. has already signaled to some allies that it will seek the money, according to the report. The amount Washington will request was not immediately clear.
PURL allows allies to pay for U.S. weapons that are then sent to Kyiv. It has become a cornerstone of NATO support for Ukraine as the Trump administration cut most direct Pentagon security assistance to Ukraine, while European nations now provide the bulk of military support.
Separately, the State Department on Friday approved a $2.1 billion foreign military sale of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, paid for by Canada, Germany, Norway and the European Union.
NATO representatives will meet counterparts from the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany in Brussels this week on efforts to end the war, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said. "NATO representatives will meet this week in Brussels with representatives of France, Germany, the UK and the US to discuss the way forward for a just and sustainable end to the war in Ukraine," Hart said. The date, participation level and agenda were not disclosed.
U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks are expected to resume this month, as Washington prepares its PURL funding request. The program has ensured a flow of select military equipment to Ukraine even as direct U.S. aid has fallen sharply.
