In 2026, the North Atlantic Alliance plans to allocate $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. The NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) also continues to operate, covering various areas of non-lethal support for Ukraine. This was reported by Patrick Turner, Head of NATO’s Mission to Ukraine.
He reported that four assistance packages have already been announced within the framework of the PURL initiative.
“Assistance under these packages has either already been provided or is still in the process of being received by Ukraine. We are actively working on organizing and financing the next packages, so there is already tangible progress. This is a long-term and large-scale initiative, so the total amount of support will be significant, ” — explained the diplomat.
Turner emphasized that this is a key element in the overall military assistance to Ukraine provided by the Alliance allies:
“For example, in 2024, NATO countries provided Ukraine with military assistance worth more than $50 billion. The final figures for this year have not yet been determined. The Ukrainian government has informed its partners, including NATO, that in 2026 the country’s total defense budget will be $120 billion, half of which will be financed by Ukraine and half by international partners. So, the PURL Initiative is a very important part of this overall support, although overall assistance is not limited to it”.
Answering a question about NATO’s priorities in Ukraine for the near future, Turner emphasized that the main task remains to support Ukraine’s ability to defend itself effectively:
“And the more reliable way to do that is military support. So, the allocation of 50 billion last year, 60 billion next year is a very large and practical support, again, the PURL initiative. This is vital support”.
He also drew attention to the importance of defense cooperation between Ukraine and NATO countries:
“NATO wants to work with Ukrainian industry and innovation. We need to learn, or learn how to do it, how you go from creating a concept of capability to transferring weapons to use on the battlefield in a matter of weeks. We need to learn how to do it, it’s very important”.
Separately, Turner noted the importance of non-lethal assistance to Ukraine:
“There is the so-called NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP), which provides for a whole range of areas of non-lethal support to Ukraine. It covers both assistance related to battlefield conditions and long-term programs, for example, support for hospitals or assistance to veterans. This is one of the priority areas of NATO assistance”.
According to the diplomat, there is a joint center in Poland that is engaged in the study and implementation of combat experience, as well as assistance in countering threats on the battlefield.
“It is very important to work with Ukraine on achieving a number of goals to further increase our interoperability, as well as on some priority reforms. It always happens that potential NATO members, you know, carry out reforms that NATO members would like to see, and Ukraine is making significant progress in carrying out such reforms”.
