Washington presses Athens to contribute to Ukraine weapons fund

The United States is urging Greece to contribute to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a fund established to pool financial resources for the purchase of American-made weapons for Ukraine.

In the run-up to NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on December 3, officials from the US Embassy in Athens conveyed Washington’s request that Greece join the initiative, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

US diplomats reiterated their appreciation for Greece’s “principled stance” on the Ukraine conflict and acknowledged the country’s fiscal constraints as the end of the financial year approaches. Nevertheless, they pressed Athens to formally announce its participation. Washington encouraged Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis to declare Greece’s intention to join PURL during the NATO meeting and proposed that Athens sign the General Framework Agreement as an immediate signal of commitment, leaving the financial contribution to be determined later. American officials also advised Greece to avoid aligning with the small minority of NATO member-states that have yet to contribute.

Gerapetritis met on the sidelines of the NATO gathering with US Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau, though no announcements followed beyond both countries’ stated intention to prepare the next round of the Greece–US Strategic Dialogue. Initially planned for October and then December, the Strategic Dialogue now appears likely to take place later in 2026.

The US has repeatedly raised the PURL issue since President Donald Trump announced the initiative last summer. It has also been emphasized during discussions between Greek leaders and both Charge d’Affaires Josh Huck and Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Given the implications for Greek–American relations, the matter is being handled by the prime minister’s office. At present—as in earlier stages—US officials have been told that Greece’s fiscal situation does not permit any disruption of the delicate balances that have been achieved.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has noted that PURL currently has support from two-thirds of the Alliance’s members and commitments totaling €4 billion—far short of the roughly $300 billion in weapons that Western states have supplied to Ukraine to date. Greece has contributed artillery shells, aging anti-air missiles, older firearms, self-propelled artillery, confiscated Kalashnikov rifles, and anti-tank weapons, and may also sell its short-range OSA-AK systems.

By Vafa Guliyeva