Europe Questions US Handling of Ukraine Arms Supplies
European countries are questioning whether US weapons deliveries to Ukraine are being funded and managed in the way allies expected, The Washington Post reported, citing diplomats, officials and advisers to members of Congress.
Ukraine has received US weapons since 2025 mainly through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO-brokered program funded by European allies. The scheme was intended to ensure a steady supply of equipment that Europe cannot produce in sufficient quantities, particularly air defense systems.
In recent months, however, the US military has used large quantities of ammunition in the war with Iran. The strain on American stockpiles is already affecting supplies to European countries, which may have to wait years for equipment they have already bought.
The use of the funding has also increased tensions. According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon wants to use part of the money intended for weapons purchases for Ukraine to replenish its own stockpiles, which were drawn down during the Joe Biden administration to send equipment to Kyiv.
Sources said the Trump administration had asked several European countries earlier this year to send Ukraine missiles for Patriot air defense systems from their own stocks. They refused, fearing that such a move would weaken their own defenses.
The PURL program continues to operate and several countries are still contributing to it, but deliveries are falling short of Ukraine’s needs. Kyiv is facing an acute shortage of air defense missiles, which are crucial to protecting cities from Russian attacks.
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