Italy Signals Readiness to Join U.S. Weapons Procurement Program for Ukraine

Italy has privately indicated its readiness to participate in a new NATO-backed initiative that would finance the purchase of American-made weapons for Ukraine.

The Gaze reports this, referring to Bloomberg.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto reportedly voiced Rome’s willingness to join the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program during last week’s meeting of NATO defense ministers. 

The closed-door discussions mark a notable shift in Italy’s position, as the country had previously resisted taking part in the mechanism, arguing that Ukraine already had other channels for receiving military assistance.

Sources told Bloomberg that Italy’s change of stance was partly driven by concerns it could be sidelined if other member states dominated the program’s funding. The Italian Defense Ministry declined to comment.

Italy has so far delivered at least ten military aid packages to Kyiv, though their contents remain classified. Officials familiar with the shipments said they have included air defense assets, such as SAMP/T surface-to-air missile systems.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to support Ukraine despite Italy’s tight fiscal constraints, the report added.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said last week that more than half of the Alliance’s 32 members had agreed to contribute funds to the PURL initiative, though he did not disclose which countries. Baltic and Nordic states have already confirmed their participation.

Launched earlier this year, PURL is designed to streamline NATO members’ financial contributions toward the supply of U.S. weapons and defense technologies to meet Ukraine’s most urgent battlefield needs. 

As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that during the 31st Ramstein meeting, Ukraine's partners agreed to provide new assistance totaling at least $422 million through the PURL initiative.