Trump told reporters, “We are making money from this conflict because they are buying our equipment,” noting that his administration “does not spend any money” on the conflict, as “NATO is the one funding it.” Reuters reported, citing sources, that the Trump administration approved the first military aid package for Kyiv, funded by contributions from the United States’ NATO allies. Later, NATO representative in Ukraine, Patrick Turner, said that the first installments of this aid, allocated under the “Prioritized Needs” (PURL) program, have already arrived in Ukraine.
In August, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the launch of a new mechanism to support Kyiv through the “Prioritized Needs” initiative, which facilitates acceleration through voluntary contributions from NATO countries.
Moscow, on its part, views the supply of weapons to Ukraine as hindering a peaceful resolution and considers it direct involvement by NATO countries in the conflict, describing it as “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that any shipments containing weapons to Kyiv would be a legitimate target for Russia, while the Kremlin emphasized that supplying Ukraine with weapons from the West does not serve negotiations and will have negative consequences.
