US, NATO developing new funding mechanism for Ukraine weapons deliveries, Reuters reports
The United States and NATO are developing a new mechanism for funding weapons transfer to Ukraine, under which alliance members will purchase U.S.-supplied arms for Kyiv, Reuters reported on Aug. 1, citing several sources familiar with the matter.
The developments come as U.S. President Donald Trump has seemingly shifted his foreign policy in support of Kyiv, frustrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's objections to an end to hostilities in Ukraine.
The reported mechanism will allow Kyiv to prioritize weaponry needs under its Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), Reuters reported, with arms being delivered in tranches of about $500 million. Spearheaded by alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte, NATO allies would then negotiate among themselves as to who would pay for weapons on the list.
A European official told Reuters that the aim is for the mechanism to provide $10 billion in funding for Ukraine.
"That is the starting point, and it's an ambitious target that we're working towards. We're currently on that trajectory. We support the ambition. We need that sort of volume," the European official told Reuters.
While no details were provided for the timeline of the transfers, two sources confirmed that negotiations are underway for at least one tranche of weapons transfers.
As weapons deliveries to Kyiv ramp up, the German Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 1 that two additional Patriot launchers to Ukraine "in the coming days," with more components expected to arrive "within the next two to three months."
With tensions between Moscow and Washington growing, Trump has demanded a peace deal by Aug. 8, threatening "severe" new tariffs on Russia and its economic partners, including China and India, if the Kremlin fails to halt its full-scale invasion.
The Kremlin on Aug. 1 floated a new negotiation framework just a week before U.S. President Donald Trump's self-imposed deadline to end the war in Ukraine arrives.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week confirmed that high-level U.S.-Russia talks took place earlier this week but yielded "no progress" toward a ceasefire.
Moscow has consistently rejected a 30-day unconditional ceasefire ever since it was proposed in a joint call between Kyiv and Washington in March.
