NATO leaders concluded their summit in Ankara on 8 July with a final declaration that commits the alliance to provide €70 billion in military equipment, assistance and training to Ukraine in 2026, and to maintain at least the same level of support in 2027. The document, adopted by all 32 member states, formally designates Russia as a “long-term threat” to Euro-Atlantic security and announces over $50 billion in new collective defence procurement contracts.

Viewed from Western capitals, the package signals continued backing for Kyiv despite political shifts, notably the near-total halt of US bilateral aid under President Donald Trump. European allies and Canada now finance the bulk of security assistance, a shift the declaration frames as a “fair, predictable and sustainable” burden-sharing arrangement. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to German media, described the commitment as a potential turning point, arguing it would make clear to the Kremlin that Russia cannot achieve its military objectives. Yet the summit exposed internal frictions: a German-backed proposal to set a fixed GDP-based contribution quota was blocked by France and other members, leaving the aid pledges voluntary. Hungary’s new prime minister stated before the session that his government would not supply weapons to Ukraine, while Bulgaria’s prime minister said his country had exhausted its capacity for further arms transfers.

The €140 billion total over two years incorporates a previously agreed European Union support loan of roughly €60 billion for Ukrainian defence spending through 2027, with the remaining €80 billion to be drawn from national budgets. The declaration also commits allies to expand joint production capacity, remove barriers to defence trade, and accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence into military systems, including a planned interoperable transatlantic combat cloud. On Iran, the allies reiterated that Tehran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and called for full respect of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a passage that gained urgency as US-Iranian military exchanges escalated during the summit.

The Kremlin, as reported by Russian state agencies, has consistently argued that Western arms deliveries prolong the conflict and make any weapons shipments legitimate military targets. The declaration makes no mention of a NATO membership path for Ukraine, an omission that, according to diplomats in Ankara, reflects the alliance’s focus on immediate military support rather than institutional integration. The summit did not set a date or venue for the next meeting. The voluntary nature of the pledges means implementation will depend on domestic budget processes in each allied capital, with the first test coming as governments prepare their 2027 spending plans.