NATO members cannot agree on duration of financial support for Ukraine - Bloomberg

NATO member countries have been unable to agree on a joint statement for the summit in Ankara, which will take place next week. In particular, disagreements have arisen over the duration of financial support for Ukraine and over plans to expand the alliance’s fuel pipelines to Eastern Europe.

Bloomberg reports this, citing sources.

According to sources familiar with the situation, negotiations among diplomats have dragged on in recent days over a short text that leaders were to approve following their meeting in Ankara on July 7–8.

In particular, Italy sought to soften the statement’s commitment to provide military aid to Ukraine through the end of next year. According to the sources, the draft statement stated that the allies would provide Ukraine with EUR 70 billion in 2026 and 2027. This figure does not include any new commitments but reflects NATO’s previous annual pledge of EUR 40 billion, plus EUR 30 billion each year through a loan from the European Union.

The mention of specific aid marks a change from last year’s statement, which made no reference to financial assistance for Ukraine.

According to sources, Italy insisted on removing the reference to 2027 from the text, citing the intensification of diplomatic contacts with moscow as an example, which demonstrates how such wording would undermine the possibility of negotiations. Rome’s argument was that specifying a concrete deadline in advance would preclude the possibility of an earlier peace agreement.

However, sources familiar with the Italian government’s position noted that Rome is unlikely to break the consensus on this issue. They emphasized that aid to Ukraine is not in question.

Another point of contention was that during the negotiations, Poland asked the alliance to fund the eastward expansion of NATO’s Cold War-era pipeline network, which connects military facilities in Western Europe, sources reported.

Warsaw has the support of other Eastern European countries, which had hoped this issue would be resolved at last year’s summit in The Hague, they noted.

At the same time, Turkey is also vying for attention and funding for its own plans to expand the pipeline network as part of NATO’s USD 28 billion infrastructure modernization program, aimed at strengthening the alliance’s fuel security.

Tensions are also rising due to the presence at the upcoming summit of US President Donald Trump, who regularly complains that NATO members are not spending enough on defense and is reducing the US military presence in Europe.

The final statement from the Ankara summit is also expected to mention the importance of preserving freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia is expected to be mentioned as a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security, as it was in last year’s statement.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Warsaw does not plan to announce additional financial aid for Ukraine during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.

Meanwhile, the United States has warned Poland that russia, the aggressor state, is planning an armed “provocation” on Polish territory to test NATO’s resolve. Moscow has not yet made a final decision on carrying out such an operation.