Nordics, Baltics pledge $500 million arms package for Ukraine under NATO-led scheme
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Eight Baltic and Nordic NATO allies announced on Nov. 13 that they will fund a $500 million package of U.S.-sourced military equipment and munitions for Kyiv under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden have agreed on a joint arms donation intended to strengthen "air defense and support for the Ukrainian Air Force," the Danish Defense Ministry said.
The decision was reached during a meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) in Helsinki.
The PURL initiative, launched earlier this year, enables NATO allies to buy advanced U.S. weaponry for Kyiv as it faces ongoing Russian aggression.
Partners had already contributed over $2.8 billion under the scheme, the Ukrainian Presidential Office said earlier in November.
"Our Nordic and Baltic Allies are stepping up to fund a further package of critical military equipment for Ukraine," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
"This equipment is extremely important as Ukraine enters the winter months, and deliveries through PURL are flowing into Ukraine."
The exact type of weaponry and equipment included in the latest PURL package has not been disclosed.
Ukraine has been urging its allies to strengthen its air defense capabilities, namely via Patriot missile system deliveries, as Russia once again ramps up attacks against the Ukrainian power grid.
The Nordic and Baltic countries have been among Ukraine's staunchest allies since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, with some of them already donating to previous PURL packages.
The first shipments delivered to Ukraine under the NATO-led scheme included Patriot missiles and HIMARS rockets.
