Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed that Italy will not participate in the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (Purl), the mechanism for supplying weapons to Ukraine developed by NATO and the United States Department of Defense, which are the largest contributors to the Atlantic alliance.
CROSETTO’S WORDS ON EUROPEAN WEAPON SYSTEMS TO UKRAINE
Yesterday Crosetto reiterated that, instead of purchasing American weapon systems to supply Ukraine, such as Raytheon’s Patriot missiles, Italy will rather send the Aster anti-aircraft missiles produced by Mbda, “which is an Italian and French company. From the point of view of Ukraine’s missile defense, it is the same, but at least that money will remain with the Italian and European industry and Italian and European workers.”
“We will continue to help Ukraine,” the minister added, “but we will do so using either our own stocks or material that we can purchase in Italy or Europe.”
PURL, “NO OFFENSE” TO THE UNITED STATES
Alluding then to tensions between Rome and Washington – the latest visible manifestation being the post published by Donald Trump about the need for a restraining order against Giorgia Meloni – the minister explained that “we have been very correct from the beginning with the United States” regarding Italy’s non-participation in Purl, “so there is no offense.”
THE BACKSTORY FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (WITH MELONI’S JUDGMENT ON TRUMP)
Today and tomorrow a delicate NATO meeting will be held in Ankara. Member countries will try to avoid new tensions with Trump, whose relations with allies have worsened after the war with Iran. The American president, for his part, wants allies to increase defense spending, perhaps through massive orders of American weapons.
However, NATO’s European members have begun to consider their dependence on the United States for defense as a security risk. According to the Wall Street Journal, which yesterday published an in-depth backstory, some European governments have started a process of detachment from American technologies, not only in the military field but also digital (assuming alternatives exist, though). Even Meloni, who before the recent crisis seemed very close to Trump, has reportedly changed her opinion of the American president, coming to consider him “unreasonable.”
WHAT THE LEADERS OF BROTHERS OF ITALY THINK OF TRUMP
“On the other hand,” commented il Giornale, “that the leaders of Brothers of Italy have more or less all thought this way for over a year is no secret.” Already last month Minister Crosetto – one of the founders of Brothers of Italy – had recalled how the Meloni government had “said no from the beginning” to participation in Purl.
HOW PURL WORKS
As explained by Startmag (here the in-depth article), Purl is a mechanism through which NATO members purchase American weapons and transfer them to Ukraine: a formula that allows the White House to take on a “near zero cost” commitment for federal coffers, shifting most of the financial burden onto Europe.
The mechanism compiles a list of equipment requested by Ukraine, and NATO coordinates its delivery. For months the United States has been awaiting Italian participation, without success.
DOES PURL WORK?
On the European Morning Brief, David Carretta explained that there is a “shortage of interceptors for Patriot systems in Ukraine. The United States is short of missiles after the war in Iran and produces them slowly. Ukraine’s European allies hesitate to provide those they have in stock because they do not want to leave themselves exposed in case of a Russian attack or provocation.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte assured that “the United States is doing everything possible to meet the commitment made with the Purl program.” But “from a practical point of view, there is a limit to the number of interceptors present on NATO territory. That is why we must ensure to produce more.”
