US source says allies will be equipped as Pentagon reportedly weighs shifting Ukraine aid to Middle East
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Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from NATO Spokesperson Alison Hart.
The Pentagon is considering redirecting military aid intended for Ukraine to the Middle East, the Washington Post reported on March 26, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The potential move comes as the U.S. expands operations against Iran, raising concerns in Kyiv about possible delays in urgently needed air defense supplies amid intensifying Russian attacks.
According to the reporting, the weapons under consideration include air defense interceptor missiles ordered through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, which allows other NATO members to fund the procurement of U.S. weapons for Ukraine.
A Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv is concerned about such a possibility.
In response to the reports, NATO Spokesperson Alison Hart told EuropeanPravda that "everything that NATO allies and partners paid for through PURL has been delivered or continues to be delivered to Ukraine."
The possible shift comes as Russia intensifies aerial strikes. Moscow launched ne arly 1,000 attack drones against Ukraine over a 24-hour period between March 23 and March 24, in what appeared to be one of the largest aerial assaults of the full-scale war.
A Department of War official said the U.S. military remains committed to ensuring both American forces and their allies are equipped to succeed, while declining to discuss specifics.
"America's military is the most powerful in the world, and we will ensure that U.S. forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win," the official told the Kyiv Independent.
"For operational security reasons, we will not comment on any specific allied or partner requirements or ongoing efforts to support them."
When asked by reporters about the potential changes to weapons shipments, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to brush off speculation about potential redirections.
"We do that all the time. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition... and sometimes we take from one (country) and use for another," Trump told reporters following a cabinet meeting on March 26.
The Trump administration has largely refrained from providing Ukraine with direct military aid, unlike the previous Biden administration. Instead, assistance has taken the form of weapons sales.
European capitals have expressed concern that Washington is rapidly depleting its ammunition stockpiles during operations in the Middle East. Officials fear the pace of use could delay their own orders and disrupt deliveries of U.S. systems to Ukraine under the PURL program.
The final decision on whether to redirect the equipment has not yet been made.
The Trump administration has previously paused military aid to Ukraine in an effort to pressure Kyiv into peace talks with Russia. A suspension of assistance through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List would mark the first such step involving the program.
