NATO is working on a scheme to keep the weapons flowing to Ukraine following President Donald Trump’s agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, that the U.S. would supply weapons if European countries would pay for them. Reuters reported Aug. 1, citing three unnamed sources, that the U.S. and NATO are working on “a novel approach” to supply Ukraine with weapons, using funds from NATO countries to pay for the purchase or transfer of U.S. arms.
The new mechanism will focus on getting U.S. weapons to Ukraine from the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), the sources said. Ukraine would prioritize the weapons it needs in tranches of roughly $500 million, and NATO allies—coordinated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte—would then negotiate among themselves who would donate or pay for items on the list.
Through that approach, NATO allies hope to provide $10 billion in arms for Ukraine, said a European official, speaking on condition of anonymity. It was unclear over what timeframe they hope to supply the arms. “That is the starting point, and it’s an ambitious target that we’re working towards. We’re currently on that trajectory. We support the ambition. We need that sort of volume,” the European official said. A senior NATO military official, also speaking anonymously, said the initiative was “a voluntary effort coordinated by NATO that all allies are encouraged to take part in.”
At least one tranche of weapons for Ukraine is currently being negotiated under the new mechanism, two sources said, though it was unclear if any money has yet been transferred.
Of course, not addressed is where the Ukrainian military is going to get the manpower to operate all of the new weapons that NATO is going to be providing to Ukraine under this scheme.
