Finland to join PURL initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine

Finnish Defense Minister Henri Hakkänen announced that his country will join the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative. It allows for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine at the expense of NATO countries.

The ministerʼs words were reported by the Finnish media outlet Yle.

Hakkänen did not specify how much money Finland would give to PURL. However, he said that long-range weapons are critical for Ukraine and will have a clear impact on the conduct of the war if Ukraine receives them. In his opinion, the only way to achieve peace is to strengthen support for Ukraine and economic sanctions against Russia.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced before a meeting of the Allianceʼs defense ministers that the allies have already pledged to allocate €2 billion to Ukraine for the purchase of weapons.

• PURL is a new mechanism created by the US and NATO that allows allies to finance the purchase of American weapons and military equipment for Ukraine through joint contributions. The essence of the mechanism is that Ukraine forms a list of priority needs for weapons and ammunition, this list is agreed upon at the NATO level, after which the purchase takes place from partnersʼ funds.
• So far, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Slovenia have joined the initiative. Four aid packages have already been financed through PURL, with some of the equipment already in Ukraine.