Media: Ukraine seeks €1 billion from Europe for US weapons

Ukraine is requesting €1 billion in extra European funding by the end of the year to buy US weapons, its NATO ambassador said.

“We would be extremely grateful for the new contributions from allies so Ukraine will be able to receive equipment through PURL uninterruptedly,” Alyona Getmanchuk told Bloomberg, referring to the programme that finances US weapon purchases with European support.

The appeal comes as Russian airstrikes intensify and Kremlin forces advance amid the onset of winter. The Netherlands has pledged an extra €250 million for US equipment, including air defence systems and F-16 jets, ahead of a Brussels meeting of European defence ministers.

Many European countries have been slow to commit to NATO-led support following the suspension of US aid and recent US peace proposals that initially appeared to favour Russia.

The revised plan was discussed in talks between Ukrainian and US negotiators in Geneva and Florida last week. Getmanchuk stressed that the negotiations “shouldn’t be perceived as a signal to drop support to Ukraine and pressure on Russia — on the contrary.”

She urged Europe to “agree on the reparations loan immediately” and highlighted PURL’s impact, saying it funded 75% of Patriot systems and 90% of other air defence systems, along with extended-range artillery shells to counter drones.

By Aghakazim Guliyev