Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have confirmed that they will not contribute financially to NATO’s newly announced EUR 70 billion military support package for Ukraine, despite backing the alliance’s joint declaration at last week’s NATO summit in Ankara.
The clarification came days after all 32 NATO member states endorsed a six-point communiqué outlining plans to provide military equipment, logistics and training for Ukraine in 2026, with a similar level of support envisaged for 2027.
Backing the declaration, but not the funding
Although the summit ended with unanimous political support for the final statement, NATO’s consensus rules do not require every member state to finance each initiative equally.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said Bratislava would not make additional financial contributions or provide new loans for weapons destined for Ukraine. He said the decision reflected the long-standing policy of the Slovak government led by Robert Fico, which has consistently opposed financing military operations in a neighbouring country.
According to Pellegrini, Slovakia is not alone in this position, noting that other countries in Central Europe had adopted a similar approach.
Czech Republic also declines to contribute
According to Fakti.bg, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš likewise confirmed that Prague would not participate financially in the package. Instead, he said the Czech government intends to prioritise investment in joint European missile defence projects.
The decision has already sparked political debate in the Czech Republic. President Petr Pavel criticised the government’s stance, arguing that reducing military support after several years of assistance could ultimately weaken the country’s strategic and economic position.
Pavel suggested that nations making the largest contributions today could be better placed to secure reconstruction contracts once the war ends.
Europe expected to shoulder most of the cost
The new support package comes as Europe is taking on a greater share of military assistance for Ukraine following the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House.
According to reports, the EUR 70 billion package largely combines commitments that have already been announced. Around EUR 30 billion is expected to come from multi-year European Union loans, while the remaining EUR 40 billion would be financed through bilateral and multilateral contributions from European NATO members and Canada.
With Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic declining to participate financially, larger European economies (particularly Germany) are expected to carry a greater share of the funding.
Humanitarian support continues
Despite refusing to finance the military package, Slovakia and the Czech Republic stressed that they will continue providing non-military assistance to Ukraine.
This includes humanitarian aid, demining equipment and support for rebuilding damaged energy infrastructure. Slovakia also intends to continue commercial exports of ammunition manufactured by its domestic defence industry under standard market conditions.
Hungary has consistently opposed financing additional military assistance for Ukraine while maintaining support for humanitarian aid and calling for a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
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