70% of Patriot missiles for Ukraine supplied through PURL initiative – Rutte

The PURL initiative, which provides for the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine using funds from European allies, has supplied about 70% of missiles for Patriot systems.

Censor.NET reports this, citing Radio Liberty, with reference to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who stressed the need for long-term and steady support for Ukraine.

"Since the launch of this initiative last summer, PURL has supplied about 70% of all missiles for Ukraine’s main Patriot systems, including PAC-3, as well as 90% of the ammunition used in other air defense systems. This support continues to arrive. But we must build on this and ensure that support for Ukraine remains sustainable in the long term," Rutte stressed.

Aid to Ukraine will be discussed by NATO foreign ministers at a meeting in Sweden on 21-22 May. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha will join them in person. The same issue will be a priority at the Alliance summit in Türkiye, Rutte stressed.

"Ukraine’s security is directly linked to our own security," the senior Alliance official stressed.

At the same time, Rutte expressed doubt that his proposal for allied countries to spend a quarter of a percent of GDP on aid to Ukraine would gain support.

"There is significant resistance specifically to the fixed 0.25 figure. I have to be honest about that," the NATO Secretary General said.

The official explained why he had made the proposal: the aim was to put on the agenda a discussion about fair burden-sharing among allied states in supporting Ukraine. Among regular contributors to the PURL initiative, dissatisfaction is growing that other countries are not joining their group.

"The Netherlands, as well as Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Canada and other states, when it comes to these PURL packages, for example, are effectively doing the heavy lifting... I want allies to be as honest as possible with one another about what they expect from all of us in terms of burden-sharing," Rutte emphasized.