Italy Rejects PURL Funding for Ukraine

Italy says it will not fund the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine under NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL). Addressing Italy’s parliament, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed Rome’s position, stating the country “has said no from the beginning” and that it remains “a no.”

The PURL scheme is designed to streamline partner financing for U.S. arms being delivered to Ukraine. NATO has said contributors have pledged billions for PURL, with funds aimed largely at Ukraine’s air-defense needs, including missiles for Patriot batteries and ammunition for other air-defense systems.

Italy’s refusal is part of a broader effort to limit or tightly control defense-spending increases through specific European or transatlantic mechanisms. The article notes Italy is also unlikely to join the EU framework (NEC) that can exclude certain defense investments from deficit calculations, and it may not enter the EU’s SAFE loans program, which would have provided long-term, cheaper loans for defense procurement—an approach Italy has said it must weigh against domestic cost-of-living pressures.

Crosetto also indicated that the decision about SAFE would not be made by the defense ministry alone, and said Italy is considering how to proceed internally. Meanwhile, Italy has signaled to NATO that it will still push toward alliance targets for defense spending, and it has announced planned increases that would cover areas such as border security, cyber, space, and dual-use technologies, rather than participating in PURL financing.