Finland to join NATO initiative to purchase US arms for Ukraine

Finland will participate in NATO's initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine, Finnish public broadcaster YLE reported on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said Helsinki would join the alliance's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, under which NATO members acquire US-made weapons based on Ukraine's requests.

"We see it as crucial that Ukraine receives critical weapons from the United States," Hakkanen told reporters in Brussels, where NATO defense ministers are holding a meeting.

Each PURL arms package is said to be valued at approximately $500 million. However, Hakkanen did not disclose the amount Finland would contribute financially to the initiative.

He emphasized that long-range weapons are vital for Ukraine and would have a "clear impact" on the war, underlining the need for Western countries to increase military support and tighten economic sanctions against Russia.

"It is the only way to achieve peace, if it's what we really want," he said.

NATO introduced the PURL initiative in July after US President Donald Trump briefly suspended military aid to Ukraine, accusing allies of failing to share the burden.

Under the program, the US provides weapons to Ukraine while Western allies cover the costs. By August, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden allocated a total of $2.2 billion for the program.