UK, France, Spain, Italy, Canada block Rutte's 0.25% GDP Ukraine aid proposal

Five major NATO allies — the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada — have blocked a proposal by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte requiring member states to allocate 0.25% of GDP annually to military aid for Ukraine, The Telegraph reported on 24 May, citing alliance sources.

Rutte conceded the plan will not move forward due to a lack of unanimous support, according to the report. He had hoped to ratify the proposal at NATO's annual summit in Ankara in July. NATO decisions require unanimous approval from all member states.

An unnamed alliance insider told The Telegraph the five opposing capitals were "not very enthusiastic about the idea." At least seven NATO members — the Netherlands, Poland, the Baltic states, and the Scandinavian countries — already spend at or above 0.25% of GDP on military aid to Ukraine and backed the initiative, according to publicly available data compiled by the Kiel Institute.

The UK's military contribution to Ukraine is the third largest after the US and Germany but amounts to approximately 0.1% of British GDP. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged at least £3 billion ($4 billion) annually in military aid for the foreseeable future.

Spain pledged €1 billion ($1.16 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in March 2026, to flow largely through the EU's SAFE instrument. Italy's recorded military allocation for Ukraine in 2025 was €0.3 billion ($348 million), according to the Kiel Institute.

Northern Europe, holding 8% of the combined GDP of 31 European countries tracked, provided 33% of military aid in 2025; Southern Europe, with 19% of GDP, gave 3%, the data showed.

Rutte has argued that support for Ukraine "is not evenly distributed within NATO" and that Europe should take more responsibility for supporting Ukraine rather than relying on US assistance.