Reuters has learned that the United States and NATO are privately discussing a new approach to providing military aid to Ukraine. What is important to understand is that it would involve paying for American weapons with funds from European members of the Alliance.
Points of attention
- This ambitious approach signifies a significant move towards supporting Ukraine with essential weapons for its Armed Forces.
- The new mechanism will streamline the process of supplying American weapons to Ukraine, enhancing Kyiv's defense capabilities.
US-NATO talks on Ukraine — what is known
According to 3 insiders, Alliance members, the US, and Ukraine are actively working on creating a new mechanism.
Its main goal is to supply Kyiv with weapons from the list of priority needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, known under the acronym PURL.
Under the new plan, Ukraine will independently select the priority weapons it needs, in tranches of approximately $500 million, and NATO allies, coordinated by Secretary General Mark Rutte, will evaluate the selection.
Only after that will it be determined who will pay for the new supplies.
Kyiv's allies believe that this approach will make it possible to provide Ukraine with weapons worth $10 billion.
"This is a starting point, and this is an ambitious goal that we are striving for. We are moving in this direction now. We support this ambition. We need this volume," one of the insiders told reporters.
The new approach will make it possible to de facto bypass the lengthy procedures for selling weapons to the US to replenish its own stocks.
