NATO considering new €70B military aid package for Ukraine – Politico

This was reported by Politico, citing NATO diplomats, according to Ukrinform.

According to the sources, the proposal – circulated by Germany last month – foresees a new mechanism aimed at increasing transparency in funding for Ukraine. This comes amid complaints from some countries that they are bearing a disproportionately large share of the costs of supporting Ukraine, the publication notes.

“The key is to have a firm commitment from Ankara to continue the crucial support to Ukraine on a sustainable and more equitable basis,” a senior NATO diplomat said.

Support for Ukraine is expected to be one of the central topics at the NATO Summit scheduled for July 7–8.

“Discussions are ongoing on how we will continue NATO’s strong support to Ukraine and ensure fairer burden sharing,” an unnamed Alliance official said.

Head of Ukraine’s Mission to NATO Alyona Getmanchuk stated that any new commitments should focus on Kyiv’s priorities, such as air defense, investment in drone and missile production, and long-range ammunition.

"Until effective security guarantees become available for Ukraine, we can rely only on the financial guarantees provided by our partners," she said.

After rejecting a suggestion by Rutte to devote 0.25 percent of their GDP to Ukraine last month, allies are now considering the German initiative. However, according to three diplomats, discussions are still at an early stage. A meeting of NATO defense ministers later this month is expected to help reach agreement, Politico reports.

The new funding would not consist entirely of fresh cash. According to sources, under the proposal, €30 billion would come from an already agreed €90 billion two-year EU loan for Ukraine, while €40 billion would come from bilateral commitments.

“This is natural, because of the fact that most NATO allies are also EU members. It would be unfair for them to be called to contribute twice,” a senior NATO diplomat said.

At the same time, there are concerns that countries may feel less pressure to make direct donations if they can rely on EU funding instead.

As reported by Ukrinform, five countries, including the United Kingdom and France, rejected NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s proposal to allocate 0.25% of GDP for military assistance to Ukraine.