Finland declines to send US weapons to Ukraine under new NATO plan

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Finland does not plan to join the NATO-led Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative for Ukraine that allows states to purchase or transfer US weapons to Ukraine.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen confirmed Tuesday to broadcaster YLE that the country will not participate in the PURL initiative for now.

"We have committed our resources to the domestic industrial program, in which we order products for Ukraine from our companies all over Finland," he explained.

Reiterating the "importance" of the initiative, he reaffirmed that they continue supporting Ukraine "very strongly and vigorously" while focusing on domestic business operations to strengthen Finland's defense industry and capabilities.

The Netherlands announced a $500 million artillery and ammunition package, followed on Tuesday by Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, which unveiled a joint $500 million military aid package for Ukraine under the PURL initiative.

This new initiative, funded by European Allies and Canada, will include regular packages of approximately $500 million in equipment and munitions that Ukraine has identified as operational priorities.

According to NATO, these packages include capabilities that the US can provide in greater quantities than Europe and Canada alone, and they will be prepared quickly and distributed on a regular basis.