There is money for Zelensky. NATO European member states have exceeded their designated target, granting Ukraine over 50 billion euros in security aid in 2024. European NATO members, along with Canada, contributed more than half of this total assistance, a NATO spokesperson stated today.
Many Alliance member states are facing renewed pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, as in his first term, to increase their defense spending. In response to these pressures, several countries are striving to demonstrate to the Trump administration that they have already raised their military expenditures, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This week, a NATO defense ministers' summit will take place in Brussels. The meeting will also be attended by the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Defense spending will be high on the agenda of discussions.
At last year's NATO summit in Washington, leaders of the Alliance's 32 member states pledged to provide at least 40 billion euros in security assistance to Kyiv "with proportional contributions" and "within the next year."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte now states that this target has been achieved.
Alliance spokeswoman Alison Hart emphasized that Rutte "has now confirmed that allied countries have exceeded this commitment, granting over 50 billion euros in security aid to Ukraine in 2024."
"More than half of this amount was provided by European member states and Canada," she added. The remaining aid came from the United States.
NATO did not provide details on the methodology used to calculate the contributions.
Ukrainian officials are requesting more aid from their Western partners, delivered more quickly, stressing the need for more advanced air defense systems and ammunition.
Last week, Rutte stated that European NATO member states and Canada increased their defense spending by 20% in 2024 compared to 2023. This annual 20% increase in defense spending, excluding the U.S., raised their total defense expenditures to over 485 billion dollars.
