NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has expressed confidence that allied nations will secure the necessary funding to purchase U.S.-made weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He made the statement on Tuesday during a press conference in Kyiv.
Responding to a question on how Ukraine plans to raise the $15.5 billion required to finance the PURL program, which is used to procure weapons from the United States, Rutte assured that the funds would be found.
“I am absolutely convinced that the money will be found, because we all know how essential this is,” Rutte said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
However, the NATO chief acknowledged that unequal contributions among allied countries are negatively affecting the process. At present, around two-thirds of NATO allies are participating in the PURL program, but concerns over burden-sharing remain.
Rutte described the situation as abnormal, noting that some countries contribute significantly, others contribute modestly, while some do not contribute at all.
“For now, some allies are doing a lot, many are doing something, and some are doing nothing,” he said, while stressing that most allies are now involved in PURL.
“We need a better division of the burden within NATO. We are working on this,” Rutte added.
He specifically highlighted Canada, Norway, and Germany, as well as Sweden and the Baltic states, as major contributors to weapons procurement through the PURL mechanism.
Currently, PURL remains the only channel for purchasing U.S. air defense systems, particularly interceptors for Patriot systems. Rutte previously stated that 90% of Ukraine’s air defense missiles were delivered through the PURL program.
Supply disruptions continue to pose a serious challenge for Kyiv, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has linked his sharp criticism of Europe at the Davos forum to persistent shortages of air defense missiles.
In this context, Rutte also called on the European Union to abandon the “buy European” rule when it comes to supplying weapons to Ukraine, emphasizing the urgent need for effective and timely military support.
