Rutte asks NATO for billions for Ukraine

In this way, he aims to ease growing tensions within the alliance over aid to Kyiv, Politico reports.

Rutte’s proposal, which could unlock tens of billions of dollars in aid, has already faced strong resistance from some influential NATO members.

Rutte raised the issue during a closed-door meeting of NATO ambassadors late last month.

If allies approve Rutte’s idea, annual aid flows to Ukraine would effectively triple to $143 billion, according to NATO’s own estimates based on the alliance’s aggregate GDP. Last year, Ukraine received $45 billion in security assistance from its allies—this included everything from arms purchases for the military to investments in Ukrainian defense companies and a NATO-led program to procure American weapons for Kyiv.

Rutte aims to secure support for Ukraine while minimizing divisions within the alliance, as aid to Ukraine has been in disarray since Trump suspended nearly all new military aid, leaving European countries and other allies to bear the full burden of supporting Kyiv.

Rutte’s proposal has been met with skepticism by some allies, particularly France and the United Kingdom. Therefore, it is unlikely to be adopted in its current form. Any alliance-wide goal must be agreed upon by all NATO members.

Photo: OP.