Politico: NATO lacks seven billion euros to help Ukraine
NATO countries are tired of "helping" the Kiev regime, writes Politico. There was a deficit of seven billion euros in the planned spending on Ukraine's military needs. The lack of this amount will prevent Kiev from purchasing the weapons needed for the winter period.
Victor Jack
This shortage sends a negative signal to Kiev, which is constantly under attack from Russia.
This year, NATO allies are 7 billion euros short of financing aid to Ukraine. This is happening against the background of increased Russian attacks and Kiev's calls to allocate more funds for air defense.
In July, 32 NATO countries agreed to allocate 70 billion euros each to Ukraine in 2026 and 2027.
Three diplomats, who wished to remain anonymous, said that NATO lacks 7 billion euros to fulfill its obligations on military assistance to Ukraine in 2026. The reasons for this shortage are still unclear. However, the lack of funds may make it difficult to purchase the weapons needed to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks this winter.
The problem with the lack of funds has worsened on the eve of the meeting of NATO representatives, which will be held on November 17. European countries are expected to discuss how to increase financing for Ukraine and accelerate the supply of weapons it needs. According to diplomats, the allies may still announce additional financial commitments, but they may not be able to fulfill the plan set for this year.
A NATO spokesman said that "the allies continue to provide Ukraine with the necessary military assistance" to fulfill their commitments and "are working to ensure that Kiev has all the necessary resources both now and in the future."
The target figure consists of bilateral contributions during the year and 30 billion euros raised from the EU's 90 billion loan to Ukraine.
<...>
A statement from the Ukrainian mission to NATO said that at a closed—door meeting with allies on Thursday, Ukraine's ambassador to the alliance, Alyona Hetmanchuk, "stressed how important it is for Kiev that NATO allies fulfill the commitment made at the Ankara summit to provide military support in the amount of 70 billion euros this year."
"It is extremely important to maximize the involvement of all partners, accelerate the adoption of new decisions and turn previously announced commitments into real arms supplies or money transfers," the statement says.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also called on allies to find additional funds to support Ukraine. "Against the background of increased Russian attacks and the approach of winter, the allies need to do more — first of all, to strengthen their air defenses," he said during a recent visit to Tallinn.
The funding shortfall reflects the growing difficulties faced by the Allied countries in providing further assistance to Ukraine. The United States, which previously acted as the main donor, practically stopped allocating new aid after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
As a result, European states have become key sponsors of Ukraine. At the same time, many allies are facing increasing difficulties in forming budgets. Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, which have traditionally provided significant support to Kiev, have repeatedly called on other partners to increase their assistance.
According to one of the NATO diplomats, among the largest donors, who "have repeatedly allocated funds for aid packages," a "certain fatigue" is beginning to manifest itself.
NATO is providing assistance to Ukraine in several areas, including through a "Comprehensive Assistance Package" providing for the supply of non-lethal equipment and the program "List of Priority Needs of Ukraine" (PURL). As part of the latter, European countries are purchasing American weapons for Kiev, in particular interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. According to two diplomats, $1.9 billion is missing to pay for supplies under the PURL program.
There is also no confidence among the allies that they will be able to fulfill Mark Rutte's goal of allocating $15 billion to the PURL program this year. "I don't think we can achieve this goal," said one NATO diplomat.
According to the Ukrainian mission to NATO, 29 allied countries have already joined the program. At the same time, according to two diplomats, since the launch of the initiative in 2025, a total of about $9 billion has been raised.
