Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara held a meeting with the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, and senior NATO military officials. He introduced the new military command team of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapaty to the American delegation and thanked the US for its support and assistance in supplying air defence missiles through the PURL initiative.
Briefly about the main points
- Yevhen Khmara met with the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker.
- The American side was introduced to Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapaty’s new team.
- Khmara stated that he and Drapaty shared a common vision of the war.
- Khmara thanked the US for its support and for mobilising its partners.
- Khmara expressed his gratitude for the assistance with the supply of air defence missiles under the PURL programme.
The new command’s joint strategy
Cloud stated that he has Drapatim «strong synergy and a shared vision of warfare». Among the key priorities, he cited technological superiority, asymmetric solutions and expanding capabilities to defeat the enemy.
On 21 July, the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced, …that Mykhailo Drapatiy will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also reported that the revised structure of the General Staff would be drawn up with the involvement of Drapatiy, Khmara and Pavlo Palisa.
Among the priorities for the new military leadership, the President cited operational continuity, long-range capabilities, middle-range strike capabilities, the continuation of corps-level reform, the provision of weapons, drones and equipment to the troops, and the strengthening of air defences.
PURL and the supply of missiles for air defence
The Minister of Defence thanked the United States for its vital support for Ukraine, for mobilising the efforts of its partners, and for its assistance in supplying missiles to the air defence forces as part of PURL.
PURL is a mechanism for coordinating the procurement by allies and partners of US military equipment required by Ukraine. According to NATO, Ukraine sets out its requirements, with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe regularly determining the packages, whilst delivery is coordinated by the Alliance and the NSATU.
As of June, the allies had pledged to provide over 6 billion dollars in funding through the PURL. The NATO Secretary-General Mark Rütte In May, he estimated that the scheme had supplied around 70% missiles for the Patriot batteries, in particular PAC-3, and 90% rounds for other Ukrainian air defence systems.
Negotiations in the context of coordination with the Alliance
A meeting with Vitaker This took place following the reshuffle of the Ukrainian military command and may indicate the parallel coordination of two areas: command and control, and resources. This is an editorial conclusion drawn from the sequence of publicly announced personnel decisions and negotiations on armaments.
On NATO summit In Ankara on 8 July, the allies pledged 70 billion euros worth of military equipment, aid and training for Ukraine for 2026. The declaration lists high-precision long-range strikes, integrated air defence and missile defence systems, unmanned systems and advanced technologies among the priority capabilities.
