Italy has stopped paying the U.S. for weapons for Ukraine – Bloomberg

Rome is ending its participation in the PURL program for purchasing American weapons to meet Ukraine’s defense needs.

This was announced by Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, reports U.S. news agency Bloomberg.

The minister noted that while negotiations to halt hostilities are ongoing, Italy’s participation in PURL would be “getting ahead of events” — Rome intends to “focus on diplomacy.”

“If we reach an agreement and the fighting stops, weapons will no longer be needed… Other things will be needed — for example, security guarantees,” Tajani said in a brief interview in Brussels.

Earlier, Italy had postponed further military aid to Ukraine.

Recall that the Italian deputy prime minister previously stated that aid to Ukraine was helping corrupt officials more than strengthening its defense capabilities.