US will continue selling weapons to Ukraine through NATO mechanisms, Rubio says after meeting with Lavrov
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States has no intention of halting arms supplies to Ukraine through NATO under the PURL programme.
He said this while speaking to the media, Censor.NET reports.
Arms sales through NATO and the PURL programme
- At today’s meeting with Rubio in Manila, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that the United States "must stop arming Ukraine."
Commenting to journalists on the Russian official’s remarks, Rubio stated that the US does not provide weapons to Ukraine, but sells them under the PURL programme:
"That’s what we’re involved in [selling weapons to Ukraine under the PURL programme through NATO]; there’s been no change to our policy in that regard," the US secretary of state stressed.
Conditions for peace and constructive US role
Assessing diplomatic progress towards ending hostilities, Rubio noted that a single meeting in Manila was not enough to achieve a breakthrough but reaffirmed the White House’s readiness to help facilitate a just settlement.
"And that – in order to end this war will require something that both Russia and Ukraine can agree to. The US president has made it clear that we are prepared to play a constructive role in ending this senseless war," the top US diplomat added.
