Spain and Finland enter PURL, NATO’s joint program to buy US weapons for Ukraine

Spain and Finland have joined NATO’s PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) program to fund the delivery of US-made weapons to Ukraine. The announcements followed meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Spain confirms entry into NATO’s joint arms initiative after call with Zelenskyy

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that Spain has joined the PURL initiative, El País reports. Speaking to reporters on 23 October ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels, Sánchez said he had informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Spain’s decision during a recent phone call.

“This is a proposal that NATO launched a few weeks ago,” Sánchez said. “We are fulfilling our obligations and commitments,” he added, describing Spain as “a reliable partner” of the Alliance.

According to Euractiv, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles had earlier discussed Spain’s possible contribution to PURL with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on 21 October.

Aside from joining PURL, Spain also supplies Ukraine with domestically produced military equipment worth $1 billion annually, El País notes.

Finland pledges €100 million to US arms funding scheme

President Zelenskyy confirmed in Brussels that both Finland and Spain had joined the PURL program, Liga reports. Speaking at a press briefing, Zelenskyy thanked both countries for joining the initiative.

PURL expands as European allies fill Ukraine’s supply gap

The PURL initiative was launched by the United States and NATO in July. The program allows NATO member states to fund the procurement of US-made weapons for Ukraine from American stockpiles. The initiative aligns with a list of priority needs defined by Ukraine and approved jointly with NATO and the US.

Between August and October, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden jointly financed four packages worth around $2 billion. These included Patriot air defense missiles and HIMARS long-range rocket systems. Estonia, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Latvia have pledged further contributions but have not yet formed complete packages.

On 15 October, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that more than half of the alliance’s 32 members had already joined the initiative. Then on 22 October, Rutte confirmed that weapons worth several billion dollars, funded by European NATO allies, had already been delivered to Ukraine under PURL.