Pentagon reportedly weighs diverting Ukraine military aid to Middle East

The Pentagon is weighing whether to redirect weapons originally meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran strains supplies of some of the U.S. military’s most critical munitions, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The weapons that could be redirected include air defense interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched last year, under which partner countries buy U.S. arms for Kyiv, the report said.

The consideration comes as U.S. operations in the region intensify. Adm. Brad Cooper, the Central Command chief leading U.S. forces in the Middle East, on Wednesday said the U.S. had hit over 10,000 targets inside Iran and was on track to limit Iran’s ability to project power outside its borders.

A Pentagon spokesperson told the newspaper that the Defense Department would “ensure that U.S. forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win.”

In response to a query about the report, a NATO official said members of the alliance and its partners continue to contribute to its Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program that funds the supply of U.S. arms for Kyiv.

“Equipment is continuously flowing into Ukraine,” the official added. “The amount pledged to PURL so far is of several billion U.S. dollars and we expect more contributions to follow.”

The Pentagon and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

据《华盛顿邮报》周四援引三位知情人士的消息报道，由于伊朗战争导致美国军方一些最关键的弹药供应紧张，五角大楼正在考虑是否将原本运往乌克兰的武器转运到中东。

报告称，可能被重新分配的武器包括通过北约去年发起的一项倡议购买的防空拦截导弹，根据该倡议，伙伴国家向基辅购买美国武器。

鉴于美国在该地区的军事行动不断加强，这一考量也随之而来。负责指挥美军在中东地区行动的中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀海军上将周三表示，美国已打击伊朗境内超过1万个目标，并有望限制伊朗向境外投射力量的能力。

五角大楼发言人告诉该报，国防部将“确保美国军队以及我们的盟友和伙伴的军队拥有作战和取胜所需的资源”。

针对有关该报告的询问，一位北约官员表示，联盟成员及其伙伴将继续为“优先乌克兰需求清单”（PURL）计划做出贡献，该计划为向基辅供应美国武器提供资金。

这位官员补充说：“物资正源源不断地运往乌克兰。迄今为止，承诺捐赠给乌克兰和平与自由联盟（PURL）的金额已达数十亿美元，我们预计后续还会有更多捐助。”

五角大楼和美国国务院尚未立即回应路透社的置评请求。