The United Kingdom, France, and other NATO member states have blocked a proposal under which each country in the alliance would have been required to allocate 0.25% of GDP annually for military aid to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had previously stated that the proposal was unlikely to be approved due to strong opposition to a mandatory fixed quota.
"I don't think this will be accepted because there is strong opposition to this fixed quota of 0.25%," Rutte said, quoted by Kiev Independent.
According to a source within the alliance cited by The Telegraph, the countries opposing the plan are the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, and Spain.
London Criticized After Easing Sanctions on Russian Oil
The information comes at a delicate time for London, following the recent relaxation by the British government of certain sanctions concerning Russian oil products.
On May 19, British authorities issued a temporary license allowing the import of diesel and aviation fuel derived from Russian oil if processed in a third country. Additionally, London approved the transport and delivery of liquefied natural gas from the Russian terminals Sakhalin-2 and Yamal LNG.
The decision has sparked discontent both in Kiev and among some European officials, and the British government later apologized for the way the measure was communicated. However, the measures remain in place.
France and the United Kingdom Lead the "Willing Coalition"
France's refusal to support the new funding mechanism risks tarnishing Paris's image as one of the main European supporters of Ukraine.
France and the United Kingdom lead the so-called "Willing Coalition," the group of states trying to provide long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to the same source, at least seven NATO states supported Rutte's proposal, and all these countries already spend over the 0.25% of GDP threshold for military aid to Kiev.
NATO Seeks to More Equitably Share Costs for Ukraine
At the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting, Mark Rutte emphasized that the alliance must more equitably distribute the financial burden of support for Ukraine.
"What I want to achieve is for the burden to be shared more equitably. At this moment, only six or seven allies are doing the heavy lifting," stated the NATO chief, according to Kiev Independent.
The matter is set to be discussed at the NATO summit scheduled for July in Ankara, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited. His participation has not yet been confirmed.
In recent years, NATO summits have primarily focused on Western support for Ukraine and Kiev's aspirations to join the alliance. Following Donald Trump's return to the White House in 2025, Washington significantly reduced aid to Ukraine and called on Europe to bear a larger share of the costs.
G.P.