NATO members agreed on Wednesday (3 July) to continue supplying Ukraine with €40 billion worth of military aid for next year, in a bid to give the country long-term reassurances, Euractiv has learnt.
The decision comes one week before NATO leaders are to meet in Washington for their annual summit. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend and plead for more help as his country tries to overcome its ammunition and air defence shortages and withstand Russia’s invasion.
Over the past two years, NATO members have been spending roughly €40 billion a year to support Ukraine militarily, according to the latest data by the military alliance.
After NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg initially proposed a multi-annual €100 billion proposal, the plan was debated, revised, and changed due to reluctance to give multi-year pledges and questions around burden-sharing among NATO allies.
On Wednesday, NATO countries reached an agreement to share the sum of €40 billion per year, based on the gross national income (GNI) of each country, a person familiar with the discussions told Euractiv. Contrary to the original Stoltenberg proposal, the money will not be pledged across several years, but for only one. After that, NATO will annually review this on the basis that this is a non-binding commitment.
The pledge will most likely not contain new cash, three NATO diplomats told Euractiv. Läs artikel