Pentagon chief highlights 'progress' of PURL initiative and Ukraine's battlefield achievements

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on 18 June, highlighted the progress of the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program. This US-NATO initiative enables European allies to purchase American weapons for Ukraine. Hegseth noted that the mechanism is working and laying the groundwork for peace.

According to Hegseth, allies have taken a leading role in financing Ukraine's defense support, and Ukrainians are holding the line despite sustained Russian attacks. He added that the US was confident the approach would work and that it validates the strategy of the Trump administration, which he said will pave the way for peace.

In the same meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein format) session later that day. Rutte had met with Zelenskyy the previous evening. Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that Germany is joining the PURL mechanism for the fourth time to help finance the purchase of US weapons and ammunition.