Zelenskyy, NATO’s Rutte Push to Scale Up PURL Initiative for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held talks in New York during the UN General Assembly, focusing on the expansion of the PURL defense initiative, a program designed to channel allied funding into U.S. weapons purchases for Ukraine.

The Gaze reports this, referring to Zelenskyy’s post on social media.

The Ukrainian president praised NATO support and called PURL a breakthrough mechanism that has already accumulated $2.1 billion in just two months. 

He urged allies to widen the circle of contributors and accelerate payments, stressing that greater participation is vital to sustain Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s invasion.

The Ukrainian leader also warned of growing security threats, pointing to recent Russian violations of NATO airspace. “Violations of the airspace of NATO member states are not mistakes but deliberate actions by Russia,” Zelenskyy stated.

The U.S. administration under President Donald Trump approved the first two aid packages through PURL on September 16, marking the program’s initial implementation. Kyiv hopes a rapid expansion will ensure faster deliveries of critical weapons and strengthen the country’s defenses at a pivotal stage of the war.

As The Gaze previously reported, at the 30th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, held in London, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal laid out a set of initiatives he described as critical for ensuring Ukraine’s security and Europe’s stability.