Western Leaders Plan to Spend Billions for Ukraine’s Defense

EU leaders will look to strike a deal on a new package of arms for Ukraine at an emergency summit next week, the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said Monday. 

Several Western leaders came to Ukraine’s capital in support of the country on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Monday – despite the danger – amid contentious ceasefire negotiations ongoing between Washington and Moscow and without the invitation of Kyiv or EU members. 

EU foreign ministers, who had earlier met in Brussels “broadly supported the new initiative for military for Ukraine,” Kallas said. “The details, especially the numbers, will be decided and discussed at the extraordinary European summit on March 6.”   

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Officials said no firm figure has been set, though the EU’s diplomatic arm has raised the current €20 billion ($21 billion) given each year by the bloc since the invasion as a “benchmark.”

Diplomats said several countries were pushing for the final figure to be considerably higher.  

EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels next week for urgent talks on supporting Kyiv and bolstering their own defenses after Trump’s head-spinning pivot toward Moscow. 

“We have to put Ukraine in a position of strength so that Ukraine is able to say no to a bad deal,” Kallas said. 

However, the new arms package risks being blocked by Hungary, which is friendly with both Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. 

Budapest has already stated opposition to the initiative, saying it would “prolong the war.”

Nordic and Baltic countries also pledged Monday to increase military aid to Ukraine.

“The outcome of the war will have fundamental and long-lasting effects on European and transatlantic security,” the presidents of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine and the prime ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden said in a joint statement.

Several Western countries announced new aid packages for Ukraine on Monday, including:

• EU: €3.5 billion in aid to Ukraine in March
• Spain: €1 billion in military aid for 2025
• UK: £4.5 billion in military assistance
• Norway: €3.5 billion for Ukraine in 2025
• Canada: 25 LAV III armored vehicles, four F-16 simulators, ammunition, and $5 billion from frozen Russian assets
• Sweden: Air defense systems, including Robot 70 and Tridon Mk2, worth $113 million
• Denmark: €270 million in aid
• Finland: €4.5 million for restoring social and public infrastructure

The countries also pledged to provide additional support for Ukraine, including “equipment and training for a scalable brigade-sized unit,” and investment in Ukraine’s defense industry. 

A brigade is generally 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers, the Norwegian government said. 

In a separate statement, Norway said it was planning to use 3.5 billion Norwegian kroner ($315 million) for purchases directly from Ukraine’s defense industry for Ukraine’s aid. An additional 600 million kroner ($54 million) was pledged for the purchase of drones and the development of drone technology.

“The military and civilian needs in Ukraine are enormous. Strengthening Ukraine’s defense industry’s ability to deliver military equipment to the front line is crucial,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

Meanwhile, Denmark said it was pledging two billion Danish kroner ($280 million) in military aid.

“We must put Ukraine in the strongest possible position,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement. “Now we must stand firm. Deliver more weapons. Faster. Donate to Ukraine’s defense industry.”

On Sunday, Denmark also announced it was pledging 405 million kroner ($57 million) for humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts.

Last week, citing the increasing threat from Russia, Frederiksen said that Europe needs to massively rearm.

Copenhagen also said this week it was increasing defense spending by 50 billion kroner ($7 billion) over the next two years.

Sweden’s government announced a pledge of 1.2 billion Swedish kronor ($113 million) to fund the acquisition of air defense systems to Ukraine – including the Swedish-developed RBS 70 and Tridon Mk2.

“These will be important additions to Ukraine’s defense forces, and will strengthen their air defense capabilities. This will also give Ukraine the opportunity to test new Swedish weapons systems on the battlefield,” Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in a statement.