Rutte calls on NATO countries to provide additional billions for Ukraine
Photo: Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed that Alliance members begin allocating 0.25% of their GDP to Ukraine annually. However, several countries have already voiced opposition to the initiative, Politico reports.
Two diplomats told the outlet that the NATO chief presented the proposal during a closed-door meeting of Alliance ambassadors at the end of last month.
Politico calculated that, based on NATO’s own estimate of the Alliance’s combined GDP, the proposal would amount to annual support for Ukraine totaling $143 billion.
According to the sources, Rutte’s proposal was partly a response to frustration among some member states that believe they are doing far more for Ukraine than other NATO allies.
At the same time, the proposal sparked skepticism in several countries, including France and the United Kingdom. The report notes that such an initiative would require unanimous approval from NATO members.
On April 23, the European Council approved a 90 billion euro loan package for Ukraine. The loan is expected to be repaid using future reparations payments from Russia.
At the same time, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that the funds would not be directed toward restoring Ukraine’s energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.
Notably, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on May 11 that the European Union could send Kyiv the first tranche of the 90 billion euro loan package as early as next week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine plans to use the first tranche to expand domestic defense production. According to him, priority areas include drone manufacturing and military technology development.
