The Pentagon is considering the option of redirecting weapons for Ukraine to the Middle East.
This is reported by The Washington Post, citing sources.
Among the weapons that could be transferred are air defense interceptor missiles ordered under NATO’s PURL program, an initiative that has transferred 75 percent of the missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries and nearly all of the ammunition used in other air defense systems since last summer.
A final decision to redirect the weapons has not yet been made.
In a statement, a Pentagon spokesman said the Department of Defense would “ensure that US forces and our allies and partners have everything they need to fight and win”, but declined to comment further.
Ukraineʼs Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna said that Kyiv informs partners about its needs, particularly regarding air defense, but understands the "period of significant uncertainty" during war.
UPD at 17:00: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte assured that American weapons under the PURL program will continue to be supplied to Ukraine,
"This critically important equipment from the United States for Ukraine, which partners purchase under the PURL program, including interceptor missiles, continues to arrive in Ukraine," Rutte said during the presentation of his 2025 report at the Allianceʼs headquarters in Brussels.
He added that since the launch of the PURL program last summer, Ukraine has received about 75% of all missiles for its Patriot batteries and 90% of interceptors used in other air defense systems.
"So this is an important program, which, I repeat, is currently ongoing," the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
War in the Middle East
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials. A new ayatollah was elected on March 8, and he was Mojtaba Khamenei (the son of the deceased Ali Khamenei).
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, has begun shelling US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE and firing missiles at Israel. Some Iranian drones and missiles have hit infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries.
The war has halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, sending oil, gas and precious metals soaring. On March 9, global oil prices topped $100 a barrel for the first time in nearly four years.
To keep prices down, the International Energy Agency has decided to release 400 million barrels of oil, and the US plans to release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve. On March 12, the US lifted sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil that was stuck at sea for 30 days, and a week later it gave permission for Iranian oil.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.