Italy has decided to halt its participation in the NATO program to purchase US weapons for Ukraine, citing ceasefire talks, Bloomberg reports.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that if an agreement is reached and military operations are halted, there will be no need for new delivery of weapons to Ukraine, and the latter’s security guarantees will become a priority.

This position, however, contradicts the approach of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD). The association had warned on Tuesday that European countries must continue to increase defense production regardless of the prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Tajani’s aforesaid statement signals that Italian PM Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet is reviewing its strategy toward Ukraine after facing exhausted resources and internal disagreements within the ruling coalition.

Despite Rome’s assurances of continued support to Kyiv, Italy became the first European country to publicly announce opposition to supplying new weapons to Ukraine amid ceasefire talks.

Italy only recently, in October, expressed its willingness to join NATO’s PURL program. This program, launched after Washington reduced arms deliveries, enables allies to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.

In turn, Ukraine announced the need to supply an additional € 1 billion (approx. $1.2 billion) worth of weapons through PURL to strengthen its defense during the winter.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that about two-thirds of bloc countries are already participating in the program, and emphasized that allies should allocate at least $1 billion per month for purchasing US weapons for Ukraine.