NATO pledges €70 billion for Ukraine at Ankara summit

NATO leaders used their summit in Ankara on July 8 to lock in a new 70 billion euro package for Ukraine, putting a number on allied military aid for 2026 as the war with Russia continued. The commitment appeared in the Ankara Summit Declaration, which said allies would provide military equipment, assistance and training and would aim to sustain at least equivalent levels in 2027. President Donald Trump also said during the summit that Patriot air defense systems could be produced in Europe for Ukraine, according to NBC News reporting from Ankara. The Ankara meeting ran on July 7-8 in Turkey and brought together NATO heads of state and government for talks on defense spending, alliance capabilities and Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after the summit that the message from Ankara was that the alliance was delivering, as leaders also highlighted higher defense investment and new procurement plans. (nato.int) ### Where did the 70 billion euro figure come from? The 70 billion euro figure came from NATO’s official summit declaration, issued on July 8. The text said: “For 2026, Allies pledge €70 billion in military equipment, assistance and training for Ukraine” and added that allies affirmed “their sovereign commitments to sustaining at least equivalent levels in 2027.” (nato.int) The same declaration said European allies and Canada now finance the vast majority of security assistance to Ukraine through bilateral and multilateral channels. NATO also said it welcomed the European Union’s decision to provide multi-year funding through the Ukraine Support Loan. ### What else did NATO say in Ankara? (nato.int) NATO’s declaration paired the Ukraine pledge with a broader defense push. The document said allies announced more than $50 billion in new procurements in Ankara and committed to expanding collective manufacturing capacity and working with industry to accelerate innovation. The summit text also said allies were investing in areas including integrated air and missile defense, deep precision strike, uncrewed systems, cyber capabilities and artificial intelligence-enabled systems. (nato.int) Those pledges were presented alongside a renewed statement of support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. ### What did Trump say about Patriot systems? Trump said during the summit that Patriot missiles could be made in Europe for Ukraine’s air defense, according to NBC News’ live coverage from Ankara. NBC reported that Trump told reporters during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the two would discuss allowing Patriot systems to be made in Europe, and later said Lockheed Martin would build the plant. (nato.int) NBC’s separate video report said Trump held a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy on July 8 during the NATO summit as the two men discussed efforts to end the conflict with Russia. The report did not provide further detail on the length of the meeting or any formal readout. ### Did Trump and Zelenskyy meet separately from the summit sessions? (nbcnews.com) Trump and Zelenskyy held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit on July 8, NBC News reported. The meeting came as Ukraine pressed allies for more air defense support after repeated Russian strikes and as Trump continued to speak publicly about possible diplomatic steps to end the war. (nbcnews.com) NATO’s summit materials did not include a separate bilateral statement in the documents reviewed, but the official event program listed the Ankara summit as a two-day gathering ending on July 8. NATO’s website said the summit concluded that day in Ankara, Turkey. ### What happens next after the Ankara pledge? The next test for the Ankara commitment is 2027. (nbcnews.com) NATO’s declaration said allies had made sovereign commitments to sustain at least equivalent levels of support for Ukraine next year, while the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan was cited as part of the longer-term funding structure. (nato.int) Lockheed Martin was named by Trump, according to NBC News, as the company that would build the European Patriot plant if that proposal moves ahead. NATO’s formal summit documents, meanwhile, are posted on the alliance’s official Ankara summit pages dated July 8 and July 9. (nbcnews.com) (nato.int)