Zelensky says European backers are not fast enough to finance US arms
Speaking on Tuesday following a defense-focused staff meeting, Zelensky pointed to significant shortcomings in the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO-backed framework intended to channel mainly European funds toward purchasing weapons—largely from the United States—for delivery to Ukraine.
The initiative was introduced in August after US President Donald Trump halted direct arms supplies, arguing that responsibility for sustaining Ukraine’s military should fall primarily on Europe.
“What matters is the real and timely fulfillment of all agreements with our partners. The PURL initiative needs funding, and progress in January has been insufficient,” Zelensky said.
Although Zelensky did not cite specific numbers, the funding effort has fallen short of expectations in recent months. NATO officials previously projected that total contributions would reach $5 billion by the end of last year, but disclosures toward the end of December indicated that about $4.3 billion had been pledged since August, with a significant portion committed late in the year.
Internal disagreements within the European Union have further slowed momentum. Reports indicate that Germany and the Netherlands favor allowing Ukraine to use a large EU-backed loan facility to purchase US weapons, while French President Emmanuel Macron has argued that European funds should primarily support the continent’s own defense industry by prioritizing domestically produced arms.
Participation in the scheme has also been uneven. While most NATO members have engaged with PURL in some capacity, several countries—including Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia—have opted out.
Moscow has consistently criticized Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that such support merely prolongs the conflict without altering its eventual outcome.
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