Italy said that it currently considers participation in NATO’s program for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine (PURL) “premature” amid ongoing negotiations on a possible ceasefire.
This was announced by the country’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, writes Bloomberg.
“If we reach an agreement and the fighting stops, weapons will no longer be needed. Instead, other things will be needed – such as security guarantees,” he said.
As the agency notes, Tajani’s comments signaled that the government of Prime Minister Giorgi Maloni is changing its approach to supporting Ukraine after the depletion of budgetary resources and “tensions” within the coalition. Although Rome has assured that it will continue to support Kyiv, Italy became the first EU country to publicly announce the suspension of arms supplies during the ceasefire talks.
Back in October, Italy expressed its willingness to join the PURL program.
