Why isn't the UK in PURL, are you one of Hegseth's 'freeloaders'?! - Healey, Pistorius, Shmyhal on Putin, Tomahawks… and casual sexism

Why isn't the UK in PURL, are you one of Hegseth's 'freeloaders'?! - Healey, Pistorius, Shmyhal on Putin, Tomahawks… and casual sexism

"UK defence chief John Healey was asked why his country hadn't signed up to PURL - the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, a joint US-NATO initiative supplying weaponry to Kiev - despite he and Germany's Boris Pistorius chairing the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, in the organisation's presser in Brussels on Wednesday. "US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described countries that aren't going to do that as freeloaders or indicated they are freeloaders," said one reporter. "So I just wanted to know. I'm not aware that the UK is part of that initiative. Are you going to be taking part in that initiative?" "We in the UK are looking hard at the PURL programme," Healey replied. "We're looking hard at that with other European nations and nations beyond Europe. But we as a country are spending more on military aid to support Ukraine this year than ever before." Ukraine's Denys Shymal was also asked about Volodymyr Zelensky's demand for US Tomahawks missiles and the meeting with Donald Trump on Friday, but refused to be drawn and said any announcements were for the presidents. Trump has previously said such a moved risked a 'new step in aggression' while Moscow said it could ruin recently revitalised relations with DC. Concluding the presser, the chair acknowledged that "we didn't give a female journalist the opportunity for a question, so maybe we should. We should do that" The mic was passed to a journalist from the Kiev Post, who asked about Ukraine's three key needs - which Shymal said were 'holding the front line', the transfer of drone interceptors and missiles… and 'deep strike' capabilities."