Weapons purchased for Ukraine under the PURL will not be redirected to the Middle East — Sibiga
30 March 02:12
Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that during the Group of Seven (G7) meeting held on March 27 in France, U.S. partners assured him that they do not plan to redirect weapons purchased for Ukraine under the PURL program to the Middle East. He also noted that the membership of this initiative will soon expand.
He made these remarks in an interview with Ukrinform, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
“There are very important assurances from the American side regarding PURL, and I would like to clearly state what was said during our meeting and in the presence of other foreign ministers. It was stated at the level of Secretary of State Rubio—nothing has been redirected from this program to other geographical areas, nor from those funds or that equipment intended for Ukraine. As of now, there are no plans for redirection either,” Sibiga said.
He also noted that Ukraine has received confirmation that another country has joined the PURL. Sibiga did not specify which country he was referring to, but emphasized that the program continues to function.
“I’ll even go further: we’ve received assurances that this program will be replenished, with contributions from yet another new country. I can’t name it yet, but this means the program is active and will continue to grow. And it’s the only possible tool for strengthening our strategic air defense,” Sibiga noted.
On March 26, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is considering redirecting military aid intended for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran is depleting the U.S. military’s stockpiles of critical ammunition. Specifically, this refers to air defense interceptor missiles ordered under the PURL program.
On March 27, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on reports of a possible redirection of U.S. weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East. He stated that the U.S. regularly moves ammunition between different regions of the world.
Meanwhile, on March 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. government has not yet redirected weapons purchased for Ukraine by NATO countries to the Middle East. However, he noted that Washington could do so if the need arises.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that U.S. weapons ordered under the PURL, specifically air defense systems and missiles for them, will be delivered to Ukraine despite the war in the Middle East. At the same time, he noted that Europe needs to produce more weapons.
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alona Getmanchuk noted that Ukraine fears the war in the Middle East could lead to a shortage of air defense equipment under the PURL, but Kyiv has not yet received any indications that weapons intended for Ukraine might be redirected to the Middle East.
