MOSCOW

The US has assured Kyiv that it will not redirect to the Middle East weapons that were sold under a special dedicated program for Ukraine, Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Sunday.

Speaking at a press briefing in the capital Kyiv, Andriy Sybiha said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed the reassurances during last week’s G7 meeting in Paris.

"It was stated at the level of Secretary of State Rubio that nothing has been redirected from this program to other geographical areas, nor from those funds and equipment intended for Ukraine," Sybiha said.

He added: "There are currently no plans for redirection either. I will even add that we have received assurances regarding the replenishment of this program and contributions to it from another new country. I cannot name it yet, but this means that this program is operational and will continue to develop."

According to him, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program remains the only possible tool for strengthening the country’s strategic air defense systems.

The PURL initiative, launched last July, is a NATO program in which allies fund the purchase of US weapons and equipment for Ukraine.

With the US and Israeli war on Iran now in its second month, there are fears that the US will not have enough weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine in its war with Russia, now in its fifth year.