The United States is preparing to ask NATO allies to increase funding for the program supplying American weapons to Ukraine, known as PURL. A shortfall of approximately $2 billion has emerged for already agreed military aid packages, although Washington continues to transfer weapons without waiting for full payment from partners.
Bloomberg reported this on November 2, citing sources familiar with the closed consultations.
According to the agency, the U.S. may formally submit a new request to allies as early as this month. Washington has preliminarily informed some NATO countries of its intention to seek additional funds.
The exact amount of the upcoming request is not yet known. The funding deficit for already approved arms packages stands at about $2 billion. The gap could widen if the Pentagon approves new deliveries, Bloomberg’s interlocutors said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to send weapons to Ukraine even when allies have not yet transferred funds to pay for the respective packages.
The PURL program (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) involves purchasing American weapons with funds from NATO states and other partners of Ukraine. The alliance coordinates the identification of priority needs of the Ukrainian army and the delivery of military equipment.
Under this program, Ukraine receives, in particular, air defense assets, ammunition, and other weapons that the U.S. can provide faster or in larger quantities than European manufacturers.
Washington’s new initiative demonstrates the continuation of American military supplies despite political tensions between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to Bloomberg sources, the discrepancy between public statements by American leadership and the actual continuation of military aid creates uncertainty among European allies. This complicates negotiations on new contributions to the PURL program.
The agency’s interlocutors also said that in October Washington threatened to suspend PURL deliveries in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. However, the threat was not carried out, and the program continued to operate.
Separately from PURL, on October 30, the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale to Ukraine of Patriot interceptor missiles and related equipment worth $2.1 billion. Funding for this purchase is provided by contributions from Canada, Germany, Norway, and the European Union.
This decision should not be confused with the PURL funding deficit, as it involves a separate procedure for selling American weapons. Moreover, approval of a sale does not mean immediate delivery of missiles: fulfilling such contracts can take years.
At the time of Bloomberg’s publication, the Pentagon and U.S. State Department had not responded to the agency’s requests regarding new funding. No official date for approaching allies or final amount of additional contributions has been announced yet.
