Ukraine struggles to find more NATO donors to pay for US weapons

KYIV – Ukraine is struggling to secure fresh commitments from NATO allies to purchase US weapons for the war-torn country, Kyiv’s envoy to the military alliance said. 

Currently, a small handful of countries are paying for the bulk of the weapons, and Britain is the only contributor that has recently joined the fold, Ukrainian NATO ambassador Alyona Getmanchuk told Bloomberg.

It’s becoming difficult for Ukraine to approach the same few countries over and over, she added.

The reluctance is compounding Ukraine’s growing financial predicament as Russia’s invasion grinds through its fifth year and peace talks stall.

Hungary is separately blocking the release of a crucial €90 billion (S$133.43 billion) European Union loan for Ukraine, and a political spat in Ukraine’s Parliament is threatening to delay International Monetary Fund aid payments.

For now, though, US military equipment is still arriving in Ukraine, despite the war in Iran sucking up resources.

“Military kit deliveries from the US to Ukraine are not affected as of now,” Ms Getmanchuk said.

Kyiv “has received no signal” Washington can’t deliver weapons due to the Iran conflict, she said.

Ukraine is receiving US weapons under a programme, known as PURL, that was created after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025 and cut off aid to Kyiv.

The initiative allows European countries and Canada to pay for US military equipment that then goes to Ukraine. 

Kyiv has estimated it needs US$15 billion (S$19.25 billion) in 2026 for these US purchases.

The country had offered a similar number for 2025 but only received US$4.3 billion in December.

So far, Ukraine has received supplies in US$500 million packages.

That means future deliveries could be held up as Kyiv searches for pledges to collectively hit that amount.

NATO allies are considering changing the approach to let Ukraine collect the aid as individual pledges are made, according to people familiar with the matter.  

That approach may be harder for countries to sell domestically, but would ensure Ukraine receives a more steady supply of weapons, the people said, speaking anonymously to discuss the sensitive subject.

In response to a request for comment, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation official said allies were contributing to the PURL programme and that equipment was regularly arriving in Ukraine. 

Ukraine’s most pressing need is still air defence, particularly equipment that can intercept ballistic missiles, Ms Getmanchuk said.

If they can’t get this from the US, the only alternative is donations from other country’s stockpiles, which is difficult, she added.

Gulf countries could be another option, the ambassador said.

They have expressed interest in Ukraine’s drone interceptors, she noted, and the country is currently making twice as many as it needs. 

“Ideally, Ukraine wants to exchange them for help with intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles,” Ms Getmanchuk said. “It can be either missiles themselves, or funds to purchase them.”

European countries may also be holding back because the EU loan package could be unblocked in the coming weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The funds would allow Ukraine to purchase US weapons not available in Europe, taking some pressure off EU governments to make separate pledges.

Hungary has said it will lift its veto once Ukraine repairs a Moscow-damaged pipeline that delivers Russia fuel to the country – a stance many officials say is tied to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Ukraine-bashing election campaign. BLOOMBERG