Spain joins NATO program to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine

The arms procurement program, launched by NATO several weeks ago, aims to streamline member states’ collective purchases of American military equipment for Ukraine. Sánchez said Spain, as a NATO ally supporting Kyiv, would take part in the initiative.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Spain for failing to raise its defense spending, recently calling the country “not a team player” and suggesting earlier this year that it should even be removed from NATO.

In response, Sánchez defended his government’s record, saying Spain has been steadily increasing defense funding since he took office.

“President Trump knows that since my appointment as Spain’s prime minister, we have not only met our commitments but also fulfilled those neglected by previous administrations — in this case, the People’s Party,” Sánchez said.

On Oct. 15, Trump threatened trade sanctions against Spain for refusing to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sept. 17 that the first two aid packages under the PURL program would include Patriot and HIMARS air defense missiles.

On Sept. 18, Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne reported that the first batch of military equipment under the U.S.-NATO PURL agreement had already arrived in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Oct. 13 that seven additional countries planned to join the NATO initiative, while U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker noted on Oct. 14 that new commitments under the program would be announced within days.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Oct. 22 that allies have already spent at least $2 billion on U.S. weapons purchases for Ukraine through the PURL initiative.