The United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada have rejected a proposal by Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, for Alliance members to allocate 0.25 percent of GDP to military aid for Ukraine – the Telegraph reported.
Rutte admitted that his plan would not be implemented due to insufficient support.
“I don’t think this idea will be adopted,” he told reporters.
Rutte had hoped the proposal would be ratified at the upcoming annual NATO summit in Ankara (July 7-8). The initiative was backed by seven Alliance countries that already allocate more than a quarter of a percent of GDP to military aid for Ukraine.
Such proposals require unanimous approval from all NATO member states to be adopted. As a source close to the matter told the British daily, some countries “are not particularly enthusiastic about this idea.” The source identified London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, and Ottawa as opponents of the Secretary General’s plan.
The Telegraph stressed that London’s decision will be another blow to the United Kingdom’s credibility as one of Ukraine’s most committed allies. The newspaper recalled that last week the government was criticized for easing sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports due to the situation in the Middle East.
At the same time, after the United States and Germany, the United Kingdom provides some of the largest amounts of support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to deliver at least £3 billion annually – around 0.1 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada have repeatedly been accused of insufficient support for Kyiv and a lack of engagement. These countries – including the third, fourth, and fifth largest economies in Europe – lag behind many of their smaller allies, the Telegraph noted.
According to publicly available data, the Netherlands, Poland, as well as Nordic and Baltic countries provide support at or above 0.25 percent of GDP. Rutte argued that aid for Ukraine “is not evenly distributed within NATO,” and that many allies “are not allocating sufficient resources to support Ukraine.”
The NATO chief has long argued that Europe should take on greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine.
Sweden’s prime minister also called on allies to increase their support. “I would like more countries that speak so well about Ukraine to also turn their words into action,” Ulf Kristersson told journalists.