Italy considers it "premature" to participate in PURL while peace talks are ongoing

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Antonio Tayani believes that his country's participation in the PURL program will be "premature" amid intensified negotiations to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine. He was quoted by the agency Bloomberg.

"If we reach an agreement and the fighting stops, weapons will no longer be needed. Other things will be needed, such as security guarantees," Tayyani said, speaking to journalists in Brussels.

Journalists noted that these statements are the clearest sign that the government of Italian Prime Minister Georgie Maloney changed its strategy towards Ukraine after running out of funding and overcoming tensions within the governing coalition.

The article says that while the government insists on continuing to support Kyiv, it has also become the first in Europe to explicitly state that Ukraine should not be supplied with additional weapons while a ceasefire is being negotiated.

After some hesitation, Rome signaled in October that it was ready to join the PURL initiative. The program, which was launched after Washington cut arms sales to Ukraine, allows allies to buy U.S. weapons for the defense forces.

• On November 14, the Italian Vice Prime Minister said that providing additional assistance Not only is Ukraine allegedly unable to end a full-scale war, but it may also be facilitating corruption.