A few days after the conclusion of the historic NATO Summit in Ankara, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis clarified their countries' positions on the newly approved military aid package for Ukraine in the amount of 70 billion euros for 2026.
In their statements, the leaders confirmed that several Eastern European countries – including Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary – have refused direct financial participation in the new large-scale program, although they supported the final joint declaration of the Alliance.
Unity on paper, division in the budget
During the forum in the Turkish capital, all 32 NATO member states signed a short six-point communiqué, committing to provide 70 billion euros for military equipment, logistical support and training for the Ukrainian army in 2026, with a promise of similar levels of funding in 2027. However, as the Reuters agency notes, the Alliance's rules allow for consensus on the texts without automatically obliging each sovereign state to participate in sharing the specific financial burden.
Slovak President Pellegrini indicated in a statement to the media that Bratislava would not make additional financial contributions or grant new loans for weapons. He justified the decision with the long-term line of the Slovak government, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, that the country will not sponsor military actions in a neighboring country. The president stressed that his comment was intended to dispel criticism at home that Slovakia had remained isolated, revealing that other leaders in the region had expressed the same position.
The Czech U-turn and Domestic Political Sparks
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis was even more direct in his statement after the summit, officially declaring: “We appreciate the fact that each country will decide on this for itself. The Czech Republic will not participate in this amount.“ Babis added that Prague would focus instead on developing joint European missile defense projects.
The Czech prime minister's decision, however, immediately caused serious internal tensions in the country. Czech President Petr Pavel sharply criticized Babis' strategy, calling the sudden suspension of contributions after four years of intensive support for Kiev “short-sighted“. According to Pavel, such a move could harm Prague's long-term economic interests, as the countries that provide the most significant military aid now will have an advantage in concluding contracts for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.
Who will pay the bill?
The new 70 billion euro package comes at a delicate moment for transatlantic relations. After Donald Trump returned to the White House, the United States stopped direct funding of military aid to Ukraine, shifting the main burden to Europe and Canada.
According to diplomatic sources cited by the publication “Politico“, the structure of the announced package actually repackages and consolidates already made commitments:
30 billion euros come in the form of multi-year loans from the European Union; Other 40 billion euros are distributed as bilateral and multilateral contributions from European NATO members and Canada.Due to the refusal of countries such as Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic to participate in the division of the total amount, the main financial burden for securing the package is expected to be borne by larger European economies, led by Germany.
Despite the refusal of military funding, the Slovak and Czech sides confirmed that they will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Kiev, including demining equipment and support for the reconstruction of the destroyed energy infrastructure. Bratislava will also maintain commercial exports of ammunition produced by the local arms industry, which are carried out on a market basis.