The United Kingdom (UK) has announced an agreement to buy US arms for Ukraine after signing up to a NATO scheme.
The decision was confirmed by the British Ministry of Defence.
British Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that the UK has allocated £150 million to the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) in response to Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine under President Vladimir Putin.
PURL was set up last summer to ensure that US arms deliveries to Ukraine are not interrupted.
Under President Donald Trump, new military aid from Washington has been reduced, but the White House is ready to sell weapons financed by other allies.
Earlier this month, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed full confidence that the alliance can raise an additional $15 billion this year.
Meanwhile, NATO defence ministers are scheduled to discuss aid to Ukraine when they meet in Brussels on Thursday.
The move also reflects growing pressure on NATO allies to join the scheme following complaints from Norway, the Netherlands and Germany that they are disproportionately burdened with contributions.
According to two NATO diplomats, 24 of the alliance’s 32 member states have committed to joining the scheme.
Participation in the scheme has now been strengthened with the signing of Australia and New Zealand, while Japan is expected to announce non-military aid contributions soon.
To ensure the sustainability of the scheme, NATO officials are evaluating several options for restructuring the program.
So far, the program has relied heavily on Rette’s personal efforts to persuade member states and no final decision has been reached.
