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U.S. President Donald Trump’s PURL initiative, under which European NATO allies purchase American weapons for Ukraine, is showing progress and helping lay the groundwork for peace.
According to UATV English, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the remarks ahead of the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on June 18.
Speaking in Brussels, Hegseth highlighted the success of the PURL mechanism for procuring U.S. weapons for Ukraine.
“Regarding Ukraine, there is also progress. Through President Trump’s PURL initiative, allies have taken the lead in financing support for Ukraine’s defense. Ukrainians are holding the line even in the face of sustained Russian attacks,” Hegseth said.
He noted that the United States had been confident “that this could be done, that our allies could take the lead, and that it would remain aligned with Ukraine’s defense needs.”
“That is exactly what is happening, and it is a confirmation of President Trump’s approach—an approach that will lay the groundwork for peace,” the U.S. defense secretary emphasized.
As previously reported by European Pravda, NATO defense ministers are meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on June 18.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting (the Ramstein format), scheduled to begin later in the day.
Rutte also said that he had met with Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian president arrived in Brussels on the evening of June 17.
On the sidelines of the NATO meeting, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Germany is joining the PURL mechanism for the fourth time, helping finance the purchase of American weapons and ammunition for Ukraine.
Read also: Belgium to Transfer Seven F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine, Preparing to Send All of Them
