LONDON, February 12. /TASS/. As part of its next 500 million pound sterling ($682 million) military aid package for Ukraine, Great Britain will allot 150 million pounds ($205 million) towards buying US weaponry under the PURL program, the UK Ministry of Defense reported.

"The Defence Secretary will confirm that the UK will for the first time provide 150 million to the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which ensures the rapid delivery of air defence interceptors to defend Ukraine’s skies," the ministry clarified in a statement.

An additional 390 million pounds ($532 million) will be allocated for the supply of an extra 1,000 Light Multirole Missiles (LMM) produced in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The UK Ministry of Defense also promised to deliver 1,200 anti-aircraft missiles and 200,000 artillery shells to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the coming months.

On February 12, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that London would allocate half a billion pounds for purchases under the PURL scheme. Rutte later clarified that this 500 million pounds is intended for the procurement of air defense systems both from the United States and on a bilateral basis.

The PURL program was established by NATO last summer following the US decision to stop providing free weapons to Kiev. Under the program, Ukraine defines its military needs, EU countries allocate funds, purchase weapons from the US, and transfer them to Ukraine free of charge.