Italy signals readiness to join US arms procurement program for Ukraine – Bloomberg

According to Bloomberg, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto made the overture in a meeting of defense ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last week, Ukrinform reports.

The sources, who requested anonymity because the discussions were confidential, said that Italy had initially opposed participating in the program, saying other avenues were available for Ukraine to source weapons. However, the change in position was partly motivated by the concern that Italy could be sidelined if the program becomes dominated by some allies.

Italy's Defense Ministry did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.

Italy has worked on at least ten military aid packages for Ukraine. Rome's contributions included donating air defense equipment such as SAMP/T batteries, the people said.

Bloomberg notes that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has continued to back Ukraine despite her country's limited fiscal headroom.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said last week that more than half the alliance's 32 members had agreed to pledge money to help Ukraine buy U.S. weapons. He did not provide any details, but Baltic and Nordic nations said earlier they were among those working on a new package.

The PURL initiative (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) is a new mechanism focused on supplying Ukraine with weapons from a list of its priority needs. It allows NATO members to fund the provision of U.S. arms and technologies through voluntary contributions.

At present, Poland has said it has not yet joined the initiative but does not rule it out in the future, while the United Kingdom is closely studying the option of participating, noting that it is already providing Ukraine with assistance, part of which is unique.