Deputy Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby at the latest Ramstein...

❗️Deputy Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, at the latest Ramstein meeting, which took place on April 15-16, said that arms deliveries under the PURL program for Ukraine will continue.

The transcript of the statement has been published on the Pentagon website.

And although the text has a “chill” running through it toward Europe, and again contains an insistent demand that Europe take responsibility for Ukraine’s defense capability onto itself, with the U.S. gradually stepping back fully from that role, Colby welcomed steps related to arms purchases under the PURL program.

In general, Trump’s blackmail has so far remained blackmail. Financial interests are still winning out, and in this case, thank God.

Colby also again made clear that Trump expects Europe to take part in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz, on which U.S.-European relations depend (at a Ukraine Ramstein, yes, very on topic🤷‍♂️).

The main points from the statement:

▪️Europe must accelerate the process of taking on responsibility for the continent’s conventional defense. Trump’s operation in Iran requires significant resources.

▪️President Trump has rightly made clear that he expects partners to take the initiative in securing the Strait of Hormuz. I emphasize the critical importance of this so that our relationship can move forward.

▪️Ukraine’s defense has been supported mainly by drawing down stocks in American warehouses, which are not infinite, and by Europe’s supporting contribution. That was the “NATO 2.0” strategy, while the reality is “NATO 3.0.” Fortunately, this has started to change. But I insist that Europe speed up significantly.

▪️Europe must put the defense of the continent and military support for Ukraine on a sustainable foundation. We are ready to help with initiatives such as PURL, but support must not rely solely on U.S. contributions. Many of you are leaning in this direction, and I welcome that.

▪️The U.S. continues to supply weapons and equipment to Ukraine through the PURL initiative. We encourage Europe’s use of this tool to meet Ukraine’s critical needs and the continuation of corresponding contributions.

▪️Europe must accelerate the transition to “NATO 3.0” - not only in words, but through deeds and a fundamental change in attitude. I know many of you are already increasing defense spending and expanding production capacity. But it is critically important that you move even further forward.

▪️A consistent and significant flow of European contributions to the PURL initiative would be a welcome sign of such changes, but more fundamentally, Europe must build up the capabilities to meet these needs on its own.

▪️If Europe truly takes responsibility for defending the continent in line with our vision of “NATO 3.0,” all of us will be stronger in protecting our people and national interests.

And one more thing.

Yesterday a Reuters piece came out reporting that the U.S. has begun cutting arms deliveries to European countries. There are two points here.

1. According to sources, the arms reductions concern the Baltic and Scandinavian countries; they do not affect Ukraine for now.

2. The arms reductions concern the FMS program (direct sales of American weapons abroad); they do not affect PURL for now.