The program for the sale of U.S. weapons to Ukraine will continue, but Europe cannot rely on a “significant” contribution from the United States – Deputy Pentagon chief Elbridge Colby told allies at a meeting of countries supporting Ukraine. He called on Europe to take greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine.
Europe must ensure the defense of the continent and, consequently, military support for Ukraine on a truly sustainable basis. “We are prepared to continue helping through initiatives such as PURL, but this support cannot be based on a significant contribution from the United States,” Colby said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (the so-called Ramstein group) in Berlin. The meeting took place on Wednesday, but Colby published his speech on Thursday evening.
PURL (Priority Ukraine Requirement List) is a program for the sale of U.S. weapons to NATO allies for the purpose of defending Ukraine. So far, NATO countries have contracted weapons worth nearly $4 billion under the program, although not all of this equipment has been delivered. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned at the end of March that planned PURL arms deliveries could be redirected to U.S. needs due to the depletion of American stockpiles caused by the war with Iran.
Colby’s remarks – delivered as he once again stood in for the absent Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth – come amid concerns both about PURL deliveries and the broader fulfillment of arms procurement contracts. On Thursday, Reuters reported that U.S. officials had informed some European countries, including the Baltic states, of delays in deliveries. On Friday, this was confirmed by Lithuania’s Minister of Defense, Robertas Kaunas.
In his speech, Colby acknowledged that Europe has already begun to take on greater responsibility for its own defense and for Ukraine, but said that “time is a luxury we do not have.”
“I must stress how important it is for Europe to take dramatic action and accelerate its efforts,” he added.
He also described the previous model of support for Ukraine – transferring weapons from U.S. stockpiles – as “a NATO 2.0 response in the reality of NATO 3.0.”
During the meeting in Berlin, Germany committed to financing several hundred missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems, as well as German IRIS-T missiles. The United Kingdom pledged to deliver 120,000 drones, while Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium also announced their own support packages.