Politico: NATO is 7 billion euros short on military aid to Ukraine in 2026

NATO countries are 7 billion euros short of meeting their commitments on military aid to Ukraine for 2026. This was reported by Politico, citing sources. According to the outlet, the shortfall could complicate purchases of the military equipment Kyiv needs.

The bloc's countries plan to discuss the search for the missing funds and the allocation of additional aid on 17 November.

Politico's sources did not specify how the shortfall arose. Diplomatic sources behind the scenes, as they put it, warn that the annual plan is unlikely to be covered in full. One NATO diplomat, whose name was not given, said that members of the bloc that provide significant support to Kyiv are "tired of doing it" (translation not required, the quotation is given in Russian).

Politico writes that many European countries that have become key backers of Ukraine are experiencing growing financial difficulties, while new aid from the United States is shrinking.

According to NATO, the alliance had earlier promised to provide Kyiv with funding totalling 70 billion euros. In July 2024, as Ukrainian media reported, members of the alliance agreed on military aid to Ukraine worth 40 billion euros for 2025.

According to European Commission documents, proceeds from frozen assets amount to only a few billion euros a year. According to TASS calculations based on data from Ukraine's Ministry of Finance, since February 2022 the West and international institutions have provided Kyiv with almost 212 billion dollars in direct financial support in the form of grants and loans. According to TASS, Donald Trump, after returning to the White House in January 2025, halted the financial aid to Ukraine that Joe Biden's administration had been providing.

The Russian side has repeatedly stated that Western aid to Kyiv will not be a panacea capable of influencing the course of hostilities.