NATO military aid for Ukraine on track with over €20 billion in 2024

NATO allies in the first half of 2024 committed €20.9 billion ($22.7 billion) in military aid for Ukraine, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.

NATO allies are also "on track to meet their commitments for the rest of the year," Rutte said at a press conference before a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

The secretary general was referring to a pledge by NATO leaders at a summit in Washington to give Ukraine annual military aid worth at least €40 billion, a sum that was calculated based on aid provided in 2023.

The military aid pledge was part of NATO's plan to shore up support for Ukraine should US republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, an avowed critic of Western support, return to the White House.

The €40 billion pledge however is not a multi-year financial commitment. NATO allies will review the military aid commitment next year.

In the future, there needs to be an "explicit decision" from NATO to continue to provide Ukraine with military aid to this value but the alliance has the clear intention of doing so, Rutte said.

The secretary general said that the alliance was on track to meet the rest of its commitments for 2024. The military aid shows "NATO is delivering for Ukraine, and we will continue to do so," he said.

NATO declined to publish an exact breakdown of the total €20.9 billion sum by allies due to opposition from allies.

NATO declined to publish an exact breakdown of the total €20.9 billion sum per country due to opposition among allies.