US expects 'big' NATO spending pledges for Ukrainian weapons purchases, envoy says
The U.S. expects NATO allies to announce "big" spending pledges for Ukrainian weapons purchases on Oct. 15, U.S. envoy to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Oct. 14, Bloomberg reported.
The pledges will be made under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a procurement program that enables European NATO members to buy U.S. weapons for Kyiv.
Whitaker said the PURL mechanism "is operating smoothly and efficiently now."
"Right now we're just expecting our European allies to continue to buy (weapons), and there will be, like I said, some big announcements I expect tomorrow," the envoy said.
"Now it's time for our NATO allies to step up and really operationalize their commitment to Ukraine and the defense of Ukraine, in order to create a scenario where we can get a peace deal."
His comments come ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Oct. 15, chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also set to attend.
The U.K. and Germany will co-host a Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) session in the Ramstein format at the same venue. The format, created by the U.S. in March 2022, coordinates international military assistance for Ukraine and includes over 50 participating countries.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, London and Berlin have led the meetings.
The Brussels gathering comes as military aid to Ukraine has declined sharply in recent months despite the rollout of PURL. A report by Germany's Kiel Institute, published on Oct. 14, found that total military aid to Ukraine in July and August fell 43% compared to the first half of 2025.
Deliveries under the program, which was signed in July, failed to offset the drop.
According to Suspilne, Ukraine received its first shipment under PURL in mid-September. The Kiel Institute reported that European assistance through PURL still fell 57% during the summer months.
Earlier in the year, European allies had significantly increased their contributions after the U.S. halted direct aid packages, providing levels that briefly exceeded previous years' totals.
The statement also follows President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement that he will meet with Trump in Washington on Oct. 17, following two recent phone calls between the leaders about strengthening Ukraine's air defenses.
Kyiv has repeatedly urged allies to reinforce its air defenses as Russia increases strikes on Ukraine's energy grid. A large missile attack on Oct. 10 briefly disrupted power in Kyiv and multiple regions.
Trump has also suggested the U.S. could supply Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles capable of striking targets up to 2,500 kilometers (1,600 miles) away.
