NATO Ukraine aid spending proposal blocked by several allies

A proposal for NATO members to allocate 0.25 per cent of their GDP to military aid for Ukraine has reportedly been blocked by several alliance members, including Britain and France, according to diplomatic sources cited by The Telegraph.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has acknowledged that the plan will not move forward due to insufficient support among member states.

“I don’t think this one will be proposed,” he told reporters, without naming specific opponents.

However, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and Canada were among the countries that opposed the initiative during internal discussions on increasing support for Ukraine.

The proposal had reportedly been expected to be considered ahead of NATO’s upcoming annual summit in Ankara, Türkiye, where ministers have been discussing ways to strengthen long-term assistance for Kyiv.

An alliance insider said at least seven member states, all of which already spend more than 0.25 per cent of GDP on military aid to Ukraine, had supported the idea. However, NATO decisions require unanimous agreement from all members.

“They’re not very enthusiastic about the idea,” the insider said, identifying London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Ottawa as opponents.

The reported disagreement comes amid broader scrutiny of NATO members’ varying levels of support for Ukraine. While the UK remains one of the largest contributors in absolute terms, some allies have been accused of falling behind in proportional spending.

According to publicly available data compiled by the Kiel Institute, countries including the Netherlands, Poland, and several Nordic and Baltic states provide assistance at or above the proposed threshold.

Rutte has previously said that Ukraine aid “is not evenly distributed within Nato”, adding that many members are “not spending enough when it comes to the support for Ukraine”.

By Sabina Mammadli