Five NATO members blocked a plan that would have set a guaranteed floor under military aid to Ukraine. The United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada rejected a proposal from Secretary General Mark Rutte to require every alliance country to spend at least 0.25 percent of its GDP on support for Kyiv each year. The plan collapsed on May 24, the same day Russia launched the largest attack on Kyiv of the entire war.
What the Five Countries Killed
Rutte's proposal was an attempt to make aid to Ukraine predictable. Rather than leaving each round of support to national politics and annual budget fights, every NATO member would have committed to a fixed annual minimum tied to the size of its economy. The goal was a steady, long-term baseline that Kyiv could count on through 2026 and beyond.
The plan needed unanimous consent, and it did not get it. Rutte told reporters on May 22 that the proposal would almost certainly fail. A NATO source later told The Telegraph that the countries blocking it were the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada. "They're not very enthusiastic about the idea," the source said.
At least seven other members backed the proposal, among them the Netherlands, Poland, and the Nordic and Baltic states. According to figures compiled by the Kiel Institute, those countries already provide aid at or above the 0.25 percent mark. The proposal would have asked the wealthier holdouts to meet a standard their smaller neighbors already exceed.
"I don't think this one will be accepted because there's a lot of opposition against this fixed 0.25."
Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General
Britain's Two Steps Away From Kyiv
The United Kingdom is the third-largest military backer of Ukraine after the United States and Germany, yet it does not reach the 0.25 percent threshold. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged at least 3 billion pounds a year, roughly 0.1 percent of British GDP. The Rutte standard would have required something closer to 11 billion pounds.
The rejection landed days after a separate retreat. On May 19, the UK quietly issued a temporary license permitting imports of diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian crude in a third country, along with a license easing the maritime transport of Russian liquefied natural gas. Ukrainian and European officials were caught off guard. London later apologized for what it called a clumsy rollout, and the licenses remain in effect.
France's position carries its own weight. Paris shares leadership of the "Coalition of the Willing" with London, the group of allies coordinating long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. One of the two governments steering that effort has now declined to make its own contribution binding.
An Attack and a Retreat in the Same News Cycle
The plan died on the same day Russia fired 90 missiles and 600 drones at Ukraine, including a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile. That barrage killed four people, injured close to 100, and damaged homes, schools, and cultural landmarks across Kyiv. Russia's escalation and the alliance's hesitation arrived within hours of each other.
The backdrop is the American withdrawal. Since returning to office in 2025, President Donald Trump has sharply cut US support for Ukraine, pressed Europe to carry the cost, rejected Ukraine's bid to join NATO, and repeatedly threatened to pull the United States out of the alliance. Rutte's plan was built to replace a vanishing American commitment with a predictable European one.
NATO holds its annual summit in Ankara in July. President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited and has not yet confirmed whether he will attend. Rutte had hoped to finalize the spending plan there.
A voluntary pledge can be trimmed the moment fuel prices climb or a budget tightens. A binding commitment removes that option, which is exactly why five governments declined to sign one. Ukraine now heads toward the Ankara summit knowing the baseline of Western support will be recalculated every year by the alliance's least willing members.
Sources
- The Kyiv Independent: UK, France reject NATO plan to increase military aid to Ukraine, Telegraph reports
- Ukrainian National News: Five NATO countries blocked a plan for mandatory spending on aid to Ukraine
- Al Jazeera: UK eases sanctions on Russian oil imports as fuel prices soar
- The Kyiv Independent: Massive Russian ballistic missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills 4, injures 100
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