NATO chief confident allies will commit $15 billion in US arms for Ukraine in 2026
NATO Secretary Mark Rutte said on Feb. 3 that he is confident the allies would allocate $15 billion this year under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).
"I'm absolutely confident that the money will be there," Rutte said during a press conference alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv when asked about the figure requested by Ukraine.
Kyiv was set to receive around $4-$5 billion by the end of 2025 under the initiative, which allows NATO members to buy air defenses, ammunition, and other hardware for Ukraine from the U.S.
"I know that more is urgently needed," Rutte said, urging allies to "dig in their stockpiles to offer whatever they can to meet Ukraine's needs, particularly air defense."
The NATO chief underscored that two-thirds of NATO allies are now participating in the initiative. He also called for fairer burden-sharing while underscoring contributions from the Nordic nations, the Baltic countries, the Netherlands, Canada, and Germany.
Ukraine's then-Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said last December that the country needs another $15 billion in PURL donations throughout 2026 in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression.
According to Shmyhal, the scheme has accounted for roughly 75% of all Patriot missiles and nearly 90% of other air defense ammunition flowing to Ukraine since its launch in the summer of 2025.
Air defenses have become especially crucial for Ukraine over the winter, as Russia escalated its campaign of missile and drone attacks targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The onslaught has caused widespread, prolonged blackouts across the country amid freezing temperatures.
Zelensky has repeatedly urged Western partners to speed up deliveries via the PURL initiative, noting that some systems even ran out of ammunition during Russian attacks.
The night of Feb. 3 saw the largest aerial attack of this winter, with Russia deploying 71 missiles and 450 drones and targeting energy facilities across the country.
