Finland to audit whether US is actually delivering NATO-bought weapons to Ukraine
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said his country will verify whether weapons purchased by NATO allies from American military contractors are actually reaching Ukraine.
"What has been promised to Ukraine must reach Ukraine," Häkkänen said.
The statement comes in response to a Washington Post report that the Pentagon is considering redirecting military equipment earmarked for Ukraine's armed forces toward a potential conflict with Iran. Helsinki says it will examine whether Washington is honoring the terms of contracts signed with European NATO members who procured the weapons through US defense contractors.
"We constantly assess how funds are being spent, and we believe the mechanism works. Of course, if problems arise, we will have to review this," Häkkänen told Euronews.
Ukraine's Ambassador to NATO, Alona Hetmanchuk, acknowledged earlier the concerns in comments to Suspilne, saying the Middle East war has raised fears of a gradual shortage of some of the most in-demand weapons under the PURL program — particularly additional air defense systems.
Hetmanchuk explained that PURL's effectiveness rests on two pillars: the availability of the necessary weapons in the United States, and financing from European countries, Canada, and other NATO partners. "If there are delays or shortfalls in even one of these elements, the program starts to stall," she said.
Until recently, she said, the bigger challenge had been the financing side — ensuring contributions were timely, adequate, and equitably distributed among member states. But the scale of interceptor missile consumption in the Middle East has now introduced concerns on the supply side as well.
Through PURL, Ukraine currently receives around 75% of its Patriot interceptor missiles and approximately 90% of interceptors for all other air defense systems, Hetmanchuk said — including PAC-2 and, critically, PAC-3 missiles. She noted that US commitments on those deliveries were fully honored last month and that Kyiv expects the same volume again this month.
Despite the broader alarm, Hetmanchuk stressed that Ukraine has received no signals from either NATO or the United States that weapons earmarked for Ukraine under PURL may be redirected to the Middle East, nor any indication that the Iran war has altered the availability of weapons under the program. "There are no grounds at this point to say that contributions cannot be made because Washington is unable to fulfill its PURL obligations," she said.
She added that beyond air defense, Ukraine also receives other important weapons through PURL — some of them exclusively through that channel — that help hold the front line and conduct counterattacks, making continued contributions from European and NATO partners both vital and urgent.
Washington's contradictory signals
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on 28 March that the United States is not redirecting NATO-purchased weapons for Ukraine to the Middle East — but stopped short of ruling out the possibility. President Donald Trump, for his part, offered a broader framing when asked about the reports: he said the United States is constantly moving weapons between different parts of the world.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, meanwhile, offered reassurance that US weapons procured through the PURL mechanism will continue to be supplied to Ukraine.
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