European NATO members and Canada pledge €140 billion in military aid to Ukraine over 2026–2027, filling gap left by US
European NATO allies and Canada will commit to providing 70 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine both this year and next, diplomats confirmed on July 3, ahead of the alliance summit in Ankara.
The pledge
European NATO members and Canada will commit to providing 70 billion euros (about $80 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine both this year and next, diplomats said on July 3. The formal announcement is expected during the alliance summit in Ankara, with the total reaching 140 billion euros over two years. The amount matches the scale of a previous NATO commitment made before the 2024 Washington summit, but this time the United States is not contributing financially.
Where the money comes from
The funding consists of a 60 billion euro loan from the European Union, paid in annual instalments of 30 billion, plus additional contributions from individual European NATO members and Canada. Those national pledges total around 40 billion euros per year. The EU loan is structured so that Ukraine only repays it if Russia eventually pays war reparations; otherwise the guaranteeing member states cover the cost. Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia declined to guarantee the loan. The US, which cut direct military aid after Donald Trump returned to the White House, continues to sell weapons to Ukraine through the Priority Urgent Requirements List (PURL). European allies use that channel to purchase American-made arms and ammunition for Kyiv.
- 2026 EU loan
- 30 €bn
- 2026 National contributions
- 40 €bn
- 2027 EU loan
- 30 €bn
- 2027 National contributions
- 40 €bn
A message for Washington and Moscow
The commitment is designed to show Trump that NATO allies have fully assumed the financial burden of supporting Ukraine's war effort. Diplomats described it as largely symbolic, but also meant to reassure President Volodymyr Zelensky that support remains solid. Zelensky will attend a leaders' dinner on Tuesday evening but is not part of the main summit on Wednesday; alliance officials want to keep Ukraine from dominating the agenda to avoid irritating Trump, whose own efforts to broker an end to the war have stalled.
The NATO summit will also be an opportunity to reaffirm support in terms of equipment, as well as the concrete financial support of the allies to Ukraine.
Germany, now Kyiv's largest backer, pressed for the pledge to be put in writing in an effort to prod other European countries to do more. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had earlier floated a contribution benchmark of 0.25% of GDP, but several allies objected.
Broader summit dynamics
The Ankara meeting comes after Trump lashed out at European nations over their response to his war against Iran. Allies also hope to use the summit to convince him they are on track to meet a prior commitment – made last year – to raise defence-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The summit declaration will reportedly call for "a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO" as Washington pressures its partners to take charge of their own defence.
