Italy is ready to finance the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine

Italy expresses readiness to finance US weapons for Ukraine through PURL programme

A turnaround in Rome's position

Italy has informed its allies that it is ready to join the PURL mechanism, a system through which NATO countries finance the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, This happened after a meeting of NATO defence ministers.
Earlier, Rome had refrained from participating, insisting that Ukraine had other sources of military assistance.

What is PURL and why is it important?

The PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) mechanism allows partner countries to purchase US weapons for Ukraine by financing such purchases directly, instead of relying on US efforts alone.
So far, only a handful of countries - such as Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom - have joined the programme.
Italy, on the other hand, could greatly enhance the impact of PURL programmes, given its role in NATO and its involvement in military assistance to Ukraine.

Reasons for Italy's course change

According to Bloomberg's sources, Italy changed its position partly due to fears that it could be overshadowed by other NATO member states if it does not join the PURL.
Italy has also already provided a number of military assistance packages to Ukraine, including the SAMP/T air defence system, which sets a precedent for more active involvement.

Implications for Ukraine and NATO

If Italy does join the mechanism, this could mean:

• Expanding the range of countries that finance the supply of US weapons to Ukraine;

• Increasing the volume of assistance and accelerating the delivery of critical defence systems;

• Strengthening coordination between the US, NATO and the EU in military support for Kyiv.

However, the exact amounts and types of weapons to be purchased with Italian funds have not yet been announced. The Italian Ministry of Defence did not comment on the details at the time of publication.