NATO allies ready to provide €70 billion for Ukraine without US participation - Politico
Illustrative photo: NATO allies are prepared to allocate €70 billion to Ukraine (Getty Images)
According to five NATO diplomats, the draft declaration will reaffirm allies’ commitment to Article 5 on collective defense and again describe Russia as a long-term threat. The statement, as last year, will be brief.
Ambassadors are currently finalizing the details of the text, which may still change until the last moment.
The exact value of defense contracts has not yet been determined, and some of them will be tentatively agreed and reformulated in advance. The summit will take place amid Washington’s criticism of Europeans for not supporting the US in the war against Iran.
€70 billion for Ukraine
In the draft statement, allies are expected to confirm €70 billion in military aid for Ukraine and pledge at least the same amount for the following year. The United States will not take part in this funding.
According to one diplomat, support for Ukraine will be the most contentious issue of the summit.
At the same time, a sixth Politico source noted that negotiations on the declaration are generally "going smoothly."
Rutte’s focus on the defense industry
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wants to center the summit on scaling up weapons production. According to Politico, this is a unifying theme that helps smooth over divisions within the alliance, while new defense contracts beneficial to the United States give Rutte an economic argument that Donald Trump is expected to hear.
Last week, the Secretary General said that European allies and Canada spent $139 billion more on defense last year than in 2024.
Allies have also agreed to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
Burden shifting and long-range strike capabilities
A central theme of the declaration will be "dubbed burden-shifting " — Europe is expected to take greater responsibility for the defense of the continent as the United States shifts toward other priorities.
Last week, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of the US military presence in Europe to push allies to spend more.
In the draft statement, Europeans also pledge to invest in deep-strike capabilities, air defense, and drones.
Long-range capabilities remain a point of contention: Europeans want to develop them to deter Russia, but Washington is reluctant to allow the use of such weapons.
Recently, the Pentagon declined to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Germany, arguing that Moscow could interpret it as an escalation.
Iran and the Strait of Hormuz
Allies are also seeking to remove another source of tension with Washington — the war in Iran.
The United States has signed a preliminary agreement to end the conflict, but Europeans fear that unresolved issues — in particular shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — could become a central topic in Ankara.
In the draft declaration, allies call on Iran to ensure freedom of navigation in this key trade route. Diplomats describe this as an "olive branch" to Trump, despite internal divisions over the war.
The text also states that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
Ahead of the summit, Rutte gathered European defense industry leaders to agree on accelerating weapons production.
NATO has also discussed a €70 billion package of military aid for Ukraine, first proposed by Germany in May.
