ROME (Realist English). Italy has definitively refused to participate in the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme, which envisaged funding the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine through NATO mechanisms.
This was stated on June 19 by Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto during a speech in the Chamber of Deputies.
“We said ‘no’ from the very beginning. Our answer remains the same — ‘no’,” Crosetto emphasised. He also noted that he had not taken on any obligations during a recent meeting with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in Washington: “The defence minister does not take on any obligations; governments do that, or in some cases parliaments.”
Rome’s decision was made back in December 2025, when the Italian government refused to join the initiative, citing expectations of an imminent ceasefire. Six months later, Italy’s position has not changed, despite the fact that peace has not been achieved.
Political background and conflict with Trump
The refusal to join PURL came against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in relations between Rome and Washington. On June 19, Donald Trump, in an interview with Italian TV channel La7, claimed that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him for a joint photo at the G7 summit in Evian. Meloni called the claim “completely fabricated” and recorded a video message in which she stressed: “Italy and I do not beg.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to the United States, calling Trump’s remarks “serious and offensive.” Solidarity with Meloni was expressed by the entire Italian cabinet — from the president to the transport minister.
Analysts note that tensions between Rome and Washington had been building gradually: Italy criticised the US military operation in Iran, which Meloni called illegal, and also expressed disagreement with Trump’s trade tariffs and his position on Ukraine.
Defence spending: figures and manipulations
The rejection of PURL is not the only signal Rome has sent to its allies. Italy is also in no hurry to join European mechanisms to increase defence spending, including the SAFE programme (which provides €14.9 billion in loans for defence needs) and the NEC scheme, which allows certain defence investments to be excluded from the budget deficit.
At the same time, at the NATO summit in Ankara in July, Meloni plans to announce an increase in defence spending to 2.8% of GDP in 2026. However, according to sources, Italy’s real military spending remains below 1.5% of GDP.
The stated increase will be achieved by including spending on the Carabinieri, tax police, space and cyber defence in defence articles — a similar technique was used in 2025. The prime minister also made it clear that the government is forced to take into account the unpopularity of rising military spending among voters ahead of the 2027 elections and focus on lowering the cost of living, especially energy bills.
Aid to Ukraine continues, but without Italy
Rome’s refusal has not stopped other countries. At a meeting of the Contact Group on June 18, contributions to PURL of nearly $1 billion were announced. More than 16 countries, including Japan, have joined the initiative.
The Netherlands allocated €500 million for air defence and drones, half of which will go to PURL. Germany will provide $400 million for air defence ammunition and another $200 million for PAC-3 interceptors. The UK announced a package worth £752 million ($996 million), including 150,000 drones and more than 350 air defence missiles.
Ukraine has already received more than $1.5 billion through PURL.