Kyiv proposes that E.U. countries finance its armed forces under NATO defense obligations

Ukraine has proposed that E.U. countries begin contributing to the funding of its armed forces starting in 2026, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said following a meeting of G7 finance officials.

Marchenko said Kyiv had put forward a plan to integrate Ukraine’s military into Europe’s broader defense system by involving partner countries in funding the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“The cost of supporting Ukraine’s armed forces in the interest of European security would account for only a small share of the E.U.’s GDP,” Marchenko said. “It could be divided among countries that choose to join the initiative and counted toward their defense spending under NATO commitments.”

He argued that for European countries, this would be a more effective way to strengthen their own security, noting that building up national militaries would take years and require significant resources.

NATO member states are expected to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense. U.S. President Donald Trump called for raising that threshold to five percent, but the proposal failed to gain support.