Twenty-one countries have now joined the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program to help Kyiv purchase US weaponry, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Thursday.
Sybiha added that total commitments under the program have surpassed $4 billion.
The PURL program, coordinated by NATO, lets countries combine their money to buy US-made weapons and equipment for Ukraine. The funds go to the systems Ukraine needs most, like air defense, ammunition, and other critical battlefield gear.
During Ukraine’s visit to NATO headquarters, the PURL program received about $1 billion in new commitments, five new participating countries, and eight additional contributions from existing members.
Sybiha also highlighted in his Facebook update the first expansion beyond NATO, with Australia and New Zealand joining the initiative.
Sybiha called these developments “concrete steps that strengthen our defense and give our soldiers what they need to repel Russian attacks.”
Sybiha added that Kyiv achieved important diplomatic and defense wins during this week’s ministerial meetings with NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), calling the period “packed with diplomatic activity.”
He said the momentum followed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visits to Paris and Dublin, where France and Ireland announced plans to strengthen Ukraine’s defense and resilience.
According to Sybiha, recent peace talks, including meetings between Ukrainian and US delegations in Miami and US-Russian contacts in Moscow, are unfolding in parallel with military assistance decisions, new sanctions work and efforts to reinforce Ukraine ahead of winter.
He added that strengthening Ukraine militarily and diplomatically must happen simultaneously.
Sybih also said Russia failed to disrupt new contributions and sanctions.
At the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna, Sybiha urged the international community not to assume that Russian aggression “will simply disappear,” warning that it threatens all of Europe if not stopped in Ukraine.
He also raised the issue of three former OSCE Special Monitoring Mission staff, Maksym Petrov, Vadym Holda and Dmytro Shabanov, who have been detained in Russia for nearly four years, noting that many ministers publicly echoed Ukraine’s call for their release.
Sybiha also welcomed the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution demanding the return of abducted Ukrainian children, calling it a strong signal that such crimes “will not be tolerated.”
“Russia must return the abducted children home and stop the crimes against them. I am grateful to all member states that voted in favor. Shame on those who voted against, and those who abstained are difficult to understand,” he wrote.