Hegseth expects NATO allies to increase their purchases of American weapons for Ukraine
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the United States hopes to see an increase in the volume of American weapons purchases by European NATO allies under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative for delivery to Ukraine.
Hegseth said before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at defence ministers' level that he hopes that NATO's European allies would buy more American weapons for Ukraine through PURL.
"Our expectation today is that more countries donate even more, that they purchase even more to provide for Ukraine, to bring that conflict to a peaceful conclusion," he said.
Hegseth reiterated that PURL is "the initiative where European countries buy US weapons transferred to NATO for the fight in Ukraine – to bring peace to that conflict".
"If there is anything we've learned under President Trump, it is the active application of 'peace through strength'. You get peace when you are strong, not when you use strong words or wag your finger. You get it when you have strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect," he said.
Hegseth pointed out that "that's what NATO is doing, I believe that's what the PURL initiative is".
As European Pravda reported, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier announced that new countries would join the initiative to procure US-made weapons for Ukraine.
Ukraine is prioritising the issue of financing arms purchases from the United States under the PURL programme during a series of events involving NATO defence ministers in Brussels on 15 October, to which Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal has also been invited.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Tuesday 14 October that announcements of new arms deliveries to Ukraine under the PURL programme would be made this week.
Ukraine has previously stated that it particularly relies on the US for the supply of vital air defence systems and long-range missiles amid intensified Russian bombardments of Ukraine.