“Minister-delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France, Alice Rufo, stated that Paris does not participate in the PURL initiative, which provides for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. Instead, France calls on European countries to focus on the development of their own defense and industrial complex.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Alice Rufo. Photo: Getty Images Source: Rufo, during a briefing in Kyiv on Friday, January 23, conveys “Ukrinform“
Direct speech: “No, we do not participate in PURL. But we help in other areas.
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We want everyone to remember that at some point we will have to make our own decisions and, in fact, develop European systems. So we are preparing for the next steps.”
Details: The representative of the French government noted that Paris welcomes the involvement of other European partners in this initiative.
At the same time, she emphasized the need for Europe’s strategic autonomy and the development of weapons systems directly within the European Union, instead of relying solely on purchases from the United States.
The Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces began her visit by commemorating fallen Ukrainian soldiers. She laid a wreath at the Wall of Memory in Kyiv.
For reference: PURL is a joint US-NATO program launched in 2025. Its purpose is to accelerate the delivery of critical American-made weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
Partner countries finance purchases according to the priority list of Ukraine’s needs, coordinating contributions through a special NATO fund.
The mechanism makes it possible to quickly obtain the necessary weapons, in particular, anti-aircraft missiles for the Patriot air defense systems, directly from the warehouses of the United States.
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