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Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Netherlands decided to join the PURL initiative

Finland has decided to join the PURL initiative, which provides for the purchase of weapons in the United States to transfer them to Ukraine. This was announced in Brussels by Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen. According to the minister, in the coming weeks the Finnish side will work out the details of its contribution to the initiative. “Ukraine’s defense largely depends on concrete military supplies from the United States. The U.S. has stated that the financial responsibility for a war being fought in Europe now lies with Europe. Therefore, European countries must ensure the financing of these essential American weapons,” Häkkänen said. He added that Finland “will take its share of responsibility.” “And we expect the same from other European countries. Continuing this support for Ukraine is particularly important for Europe and for the nations on the front line,” the Finnish defense minister concluded. As a reminder, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier announced upcoming statements about new countries joining the PURL initiative. As previously reported, during a series of NATO defense ministers’ meetings in Brussels — also attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal — Ukraine is prioritizing the issue of financing weapons purchases from the U.S. under the PURL program. Lithuania has announced its participation in NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which involves purchasing weapons in the United States for transfer to Ukraine. Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė made the announcement in Brussels. According to her, Lithuania will provide $30 million for weapons purchases under the PURL initiative. “So, speaking about Ukraine, Lithuania today is allocating 30 million dollars for PURL. If necessary, we can transfer this money today, and we very much hope that the next package will be formed as soon as possible,” Šakalienė stated. Earlier, Finland also announced its accession to the PURL initiative. Estonia will deliver a batch of drones worth tens of millions to Ukraine this week and will also allocate funds to NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which involves purchasing weapons in the U.S. for Kyiv. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced this ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. According to Pevkur, the overall volume of military aid to Ukraine has been decreasing recently. “Therefore, in addition to what we have already done, we decided that this week we will also send a large number of drones worth tens of millions,” the minister said. He added that Estonia has decided to join the Baltic-Nordic package within the PURL initiative. “We are very close to finalizing this package, which is good news. Our contribution will amount to 12 million U.S. dollars. And, of course, we must continue to see what more we can do for Ukraine,” Pevkur emphasized. The Netherlands will soon finance a new €90 million aid package for the production of reconnaissance and strike drones in Ukraine. This was announced by Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans ahead of a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of defense ministers. The minister said the Netherlands will provide Ukraine with €90 million for drone production. “The Netherlands is doing more than ever for Ukraine. A few days ago, I announced €200 million to support countering UAVs. Today I’m announcing another €90 million support package for drones — both reconnaissance and strike,” Brekelmans said. He added that the Netherlands believes “Ukraine’s defense industry still has the capacity to produce more, and that’s why we’re investing another €90 million into this.” “Right now, Putin feels he’s winning with every day of continued Russian aggression in Ukraine, and we must make sure that the costs for him increase. That means maintaining a steady flow of support and also long-term commitments to Ukraine’s defense,” the minister emphasized. He specified that this involves both bilateral agreements and broader projects “using other tools, such as frozen assets.” “With additional sanctions and economic pressure on Russia, Putin will feel he cannot continue down this path — and that together with Ukraine, we will ultimately prevail,” Brekelmans concluded. As a reminder, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Wednesday that new states are joining the PURL initiative. Read also: Rutte announces new countries will join U.S. arms purchases for Ukraine The post Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Netherlands decided to join the PURL initiative appeared first on Freedom.