Pentagon weighs diverting Ukraine military aid to the Middle East, Washington Post reports
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The weapons that could be redirected include air defence interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched in 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is weighing whether to redirect weapons originally meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran strains supplies of some of the US military’s most critical munitions, the Washington Post reported on March 26, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The weapons that could be redirected include air defence interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched in 2025, under which partner countries buy US arms for Kyiv, the report said.
The consideration comes as US operations in the region intensify.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the Central Command chief leading US forces in the Middle East, on March 25, said the US had hit over 10,000 targets inside Iran and was on track to limit Iran’s ability to project power outside its borders.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the newspaper that the Defence Department would “ensure that US forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win”.
In response to a query about the report, a NATO official said members of the alliance and its partners continue to contribute to its Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme that funds the supply of US arms for Kyiv.
“Equipment is continuously flowing into Ukraine,” the official added. “The amount pledged to PURL so far is of several billion US dollars and we expect more contributions to follow.”
The Pentagon, the US State Department and NATO did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. REUTERS
