Ukraine finds it difficult to find new NATO donors to purchase American weapons - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine is facing difficulties in attracting new NATO donors to finance American weapons. Despite this, supplies continue, and air defense systems remain the main need.
Ukraine is facing difficulties in securing new commitments from NATO allies to purchase American weapons for the war-torn country. This was stated by Ukraine's Ambassador to NATO, Alona Getmanchuk, to Bloomberg, UNN reports.
Details
Alona Getmanchuk noted that currently, a small number of countries finance most of the arms supplies, and Great Britain is the only new participant who recently joined this group. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukraine to constantly appeal to the same few countries, she added.
This reluctance to join complicates Ukraine's financial situation, which is deteriorating in the fifth year of the war with Russia, and peace talks have reached a dead end. Hungary is separately blocking a vital EU loan of €90 billion ($104 billion), and a political conflict in the Ukrainian parliament threatens to delay International Monetary Fund payments.
However, the supply of American military equipment to Ukraine continues for now, despite the war in Iran consuming resources.
The supply of military equipment from the US to Ukraine is currently unaffected
Kyiv "has not received any signals" that Washington will not be able to supply weapons due to the conflict in Iran, she added.
Ukraine receives American weapons under the PURL program, created after Donald Trump's return to the White House last year, when he stopped aid to Kyiv. The initiative allows European countries and Canada to finance American military equipment, which then goes to Ukraine.
Kyiv estimates that the country needs $15 billion in 2026 for these purchases from the US. Ukraine planned a similar amount for 2025, but received only $4.3 billion in December.
Currently, Ukraine receives supplies in packages of $500 million. This means that future deliveries may be delayed while Kyiv seeks commitments to reach the required amount together. NATO allies are considering changing the approach so that Ukraine can receive aid as individual commitments come in, sources familiar with the matter said.
Such an approach may be more difficult to adopt within individual countries, but it will ensure a more stable supply of weapons for Ukraine, said the interlocutors, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
In response to a request for comment, a NATO representative stated that allies are participating in the PURL program and equipment is regularly arriving in Ukraine.
Ukraine's most pressing need remains air defense, especially equipment for intercepting ballistic missiles, Getmanchuk said. If this is not provided by the US, the only alternative remains donations from the stockpiles of other countries, which is difficult to achieve, she added.
Gulf countries could also be an option, the ambassador noted. They have shown interest in Ukrainian drone interception systems, and the country is now producing twice as many as needed.
Ideally, Ukraine could exchange them for help in intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles. This could be either the missiles themselves or funds for their purchase
European countries may also be holding back due to the possible unblocking of the EU credit package in the coming weeks, a source said. These funds would allow Ukraine to purchase American weapons unavailable in Europe, reducing pressure on EU governments to make separate commitments.
Hungary has stated that it will lift its veto when Ukraine restores the Moscow-damaged pipeline that supplies Russian fuel to the country — a position that many officials link to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's election campaign against Ukraine.