NATO faces €7B shortfall on military aid pledge to Ukraine

BRUSSELS — NATO allies face a €7 billion funding gap for Ukraine this year as Russia steps up its bombing campaign and Kyiv calls for more air defenses.

NATO’s 32 member countries agreed in July to provide €70 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2026 and an equivalent sum in 2027.

But the alliance now faces a shortfall of around €7 billion, with less than two months until the end of the year, according to three alliance diplomats, all of whom were granted anonymity to speak freely. It is unclear where exactly the current gap is coming from, but it is likely to hamper Ukraine’s ability to buy vital equipment to fend off Russian missiles and drones this winter.

The shortfall comes ahead of an alliance meeting on Nov. 17 where European capitals are expected to examine ways to boost funding and increase the transfer of critical weapons to Ukraine. While new NATO funding pledges are still expected, it’s possible that allies may fail to meet this year’s target, the diplomats said.

A NATO official speaking on behalf of the organization said that “allies continue to provide essential military support to Ukraine” to fulfill the pledge and “are working to ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs now and into the future.”

The target combines bilateral contributions throughout the year and €30 billion drawn from the EU’s €90 billion loan to Ukraine.

Kyiv has repeatedly urged allies to step up their funding as Russia continues its devastating air assaults; more than 40 people were reportedly killed after a school bombing this week.

During a closed-door meeting with allies Thursday, Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO Alyona Getmanchuk “emphasised the importance for Ukraine of NATO Allies fulfilling the commitment made at the Ankara Summit to provide €70 billion in military support this year,” according to a statement by the Ukrainian mission.

“It is essential to mobilise all partners to the fullest extent, accelerate new decisions, and translate previously announced commitments into concrete deliveries of equipment or transfers of funds,” it added.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has also asked allies to dig deep for more money. “With winter coming, and with Russia’s aggression unrelenting, allies need to do more, especially in support of air defense,” he said during a recent visit to Tallinn.

The missing cash underscores the growing difficulties faced by allied governments in continuing to finance Ukraine. The U.S., once the main giver, has stopped almost all new aid since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

That has left European countries as Ukraine’s key supporters. But many capitals face growing fiscal strains while countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic nations — which have historically provided outsized contributions — have repeatedly called on others to give more.

There is “some fatigue” from the largest donors “[which] have repeatedly financed packages,” the third NATO diplomat said.

NATO’s Ukraine funding is typically channeled toward programs like the alliance’s non-lethal aid scheme, called the Comprehensive Assistance Package, as well as its Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List that has European allies buying critical U.S. weapons like Patriot interceptors for Kyiv. The shortfall includes a $1.9 billion gap in funding for unpaid PURL deliveries, two of the diplomats said.

Separately, allies remain skeptical that they will meet Rutte’s target of $15 billion for PURL this year. “I do not think that there’s a chance we will meet that,” said the same NATO diplomat cited above.

Ukraine’s NATO mission said 29 allies have now contributed to the scheme. Since its launch in 2025, it has raised around $9 billion in total contributions, the two diplomats added.