Ankara, July 8 (EFE).- NATO allies on Wednesday pledged at least €70 billion in military assistance, equipment, and training for Ukraine this year and committed to maintaining a comparable level of support in 2027, reaffirming their backing for Kyiv as Russia’s invasion continues.
The commitment was included in a brief declaration adopted at the NATO summit in Ankara, where continued support for Ukraine was one of the meeting’s main agenda items.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated on Tuesday in NATO’s Defense Industry Forum, held alongside the summit.
«Allies have reaffirmed NATO’s unwavering support for Ukraine. As long as Russia continues its efforts, we will ensure that Ukraine receives what it needs. Allies have pledged at least 70 billion euros in military equipment, assistance, and training for this year and again for the next, as we continue to push for peace,» NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a press conference after the summit.
The declaration notes that “European Allies and Canada now finance the vast majority of security assistance to Ukraine through bilateral and multilateral means.»
It also stresses that such support «must be equitable, predictable, and sustainable in the long-term.”
According to the declaration, for 2026, the allies pledge €70 billion and “affirm their sovereign commitments to sustaining at least equivalent levels in 2027.”
The sum includes €30 billion financed through a European Union loan.
The declaration also states that Ukraine contributes to transatlantic security and says allies “stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
Speaking at the Defense Industry Forum on Tuesday, Zelenskyy highlighted Ukraine’s military capabilities, developed in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion, and again argued that Ukrainian membership of NATO would strengthen the alliance.
«It would be natural for us to integrate into a common security community. The reality is that we will continue to be next to the source of the problem, Russia, for a long time. Ukraine’s presence in NATO would bring an extraordinary defensive capability,» Zelenskyy said. EFE
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