NATO member states have announced support worth hundreds of millions of dollars for the "Priority Ukraine Needs List" (PURL) initiative, a NATO program designed to ensure the rapid delivery of weapons to the country. This was stated today by the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
Rutte thanked Britain, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lithuania for their contributions and said he expects new commitments soon, without naming specific countries. He spoke at a joint press conference with the defense ministers of Britain, Germany and Ukraine, without specifying the total amount of financial support announced under the PURL program.
British Defense Secretary John Healey said that Ukraine's allies have already committed to providing about $35 billion in military aid to Kiev this year. The amount includes both new bilateral commitments and earlier pledges from allied countries, including the 11.5 billion euros already announced by Germany, notes Agence France-Presse, citing NATO diplomats.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that his country is ready to deliver five new air defense systems to Ukraine, provided that other allies provide at least thirty more. He expressed "serious optimism" that an agreement would be reached.
Large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid have led to heating and power outages in large parts of the country in the middle of winter. "This is pure terror against the Ukrainian population," Pistorius said, accusing Moscow of using the cold "as a weapon against innocent women, children and men." For his part, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fyodorov said that "the Russians cannot win on the ground" and that is why they are waging war on Ukraine's critical infrastructure.