The US Department of Defense and NATO have developed a new scheme for coordinated purchases of weapons for Ukraine by European allies, CNN reported, citing its sources in the Pentagon and NATO.
According to the plan, a bank account will be created under the auspices of NATO, into which allied countries will be able to deposit funds intended for the purchase of American weapons aimed at the Ukrainian armed forces.
Kiev will send directly to NATO a list of the necessary weapons, which will be analyzed by General Alexus Grinkevich - commander of the US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He will assess whether the United States has sufficient reserves to fulfill the requests, after which he will pass on the list to European partners for subsequent financing and delivery.
CNN sources emphasize that the system is intended to speed up the supply process and facilitate countries that prefer to donate funds rather than specific weapons systems. It is expected that through this mechanism NATO will provide weapons to Ukraine for about $ 10 billion.
At the same time, according to CNN, in July the Pentagon prepared an internal memorandum allowing for returned supplies - i.e. weapons originally intended for Ukraine can be redirected back to American stocks. According to one of the sources, this means that "nothing will be approved without a direct order from the US president".
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that a binding commitment has already been made by the Alliance member states to provide more than $ 1 billion to arm Ukraine. The Netherlands alone plans to provide US weapons worth €500 million.
The initiative, called the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), is coordinated by NATO and implemented in close cooperation with the United States and Ukrainian authorities. Each funded package is worth around $500 million and will be approved by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexis Grinkevich, in line with Ukraine's needs.
The new scheme is expected to be activated in the coming months and become a long-term tool to maintain the combat capability of the Ukrainian army.