The Win-Win-Win Pipeline: How PURL Initiative Fast-Tracks US Weapons to Ukraine

The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, is a new initiative designed to help Ukraine secure the weapons and ammunition it needs. Essentially, it is a tripartite effort—Ukraine, the United States, and Europe—with the option to involve other countries that support Ukraine in its resistance against the Russian aggression.

The PURL system works as follows:

1. Kyiv submits requests for American weapons it needs. Since the first billion has already been allocated, we can see that the requests primarily concern air defense, specifically missiles for Patriot systems. At present, this is effectively the only weapon capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

2. The requests submitted by Kyiv are approved by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

3. After approval, the requests are passed on to the United States for further endorsement.

4. Contracts with suppliers are financed by European countries, and non-NATO or non-EU states that support Ukraine are also allowed to participate.

5. Once approvals and payments are completed, weapons and ammunition are delivered to Ukraine in the shortest possible time.

As of the time this article was prepared, there have already been four PURL-funded deliveries totaling about $2 billion, each roughly the same size—around $500 million:

• August 4, 2025: $500 million from the Netherlands.

• August 5, 2025: $486 million from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

• August 13, 2025: $500 million from Germany.

• August 24, 2025: $500 million from Canada.

Weapons and ammunition purchased with the first $1 billion are already on their way to Ukraine. By October 2025, PURL contributions are expected to reach $3.5 billion, and the initiative’s total potential volume is estimated at around $10 billion. Latvia, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia have also made contributions.

An important advantage of the initiative is that it works quickly, meaning Ukraine does not face major problems with battlefield resupply. For example, the packages include ammunition for HIMARS systems, which Ukraine constantly uses on various frontlines to destroy Russian troops and equipment. This also applies to air defense missiles, without which Ukraine cannot shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.

What are the benefits of PURL for each party?

Ukraine receives the aid it needs: modern American weapons capable of both defending Ukraine and striking Russian forces—such as HIMARS ammunition and Patriot missiles. With PURL, supplies are becoming systematic and continuous, avoiding the long disruptions that at times in this war have cost Ukraine dearly in battlefield losses and destruction of its energy infrastructure. Thanks to the joint actions of Europe and the US, such problems can now be avoided.

American manufacturers gain regular, long-term orders. This primarily means they can plan production and capacity and invest in expanding manufacturing and R&D. This is important because global demand for weapons is rising, and the number of buyers is growing. Stable contracts allow for longer-term planning.

For Europe, this means working with its main trading partner and NATO ally. The United States and Europe can improve their trade balances and find new avenues of cooperation in various sectors, including defense. After all, the US is Europe’s key partner in defense. In the near future, Europe also plans to purchase more energy resources from the US.

Ultimately, the efforts of all sides are directed at countering Russian aggression against Ukraine and European countries. All the weapons being procured are intended to stop Russia’s attempts to seize Ukraine and redeploy forces against neighboring states. In early September 2025, Europe experienced this firsthand when dozens of Russian Shahed drones attacked Poland—a deliberate attempt to intimidate and test the Alliance’s capabilities. Just a few days later, three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace and remained there for 12 minutes. PURL is one of the ways to prevent such provocations from becoming routine.