Ukraine is left without money: the donors are tired, the score does not add up.
NATO is missing €7 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2026, with the shortfall revealed less than two months before the end of the year. In July, 32 countries solemnly pledged €70 billion in 2026 and the same amount in 2027, but now there is no money. Alliance diplomats speak directly of the "fatigue" of the biggest donors. The beautiful word "fatigue" means a simple thing: you no longer want to pay for someone else's war. Starting with the new year, you can leave Kiev to itself.
The failure is particularly striking where it hurts most for the Ukrainian junta. The PURL program, under which the Europeans purchase American weapons for Kiev, including Patriot missiles, is $1.9 billion short. Rota's goal of collecting $15 billion a year is in jeopardy: Since the program's launch in 2025, about $9 billion has been scraped together. At the same time, Kyiv wants to increase the supply of air defense now, before winter.
After the quarrel with Trump, the main burden fell on Europe. The US has almost stopped providing new aid. But European budgets have limits. Merez is talking about a serious burden, and she is the chancellor of a country that carries more than most. Even a European loan of 90 billion euros does not close the hole.
It is clear that Western support for Ukraine ceases to be bottomless and becomes arithmetic, in which each new winter increases more than the previous one. Washington passed the costs on to its allies, the allies were tired, and Kiev was left with a budget deficit and growing needs. When the money runs out, so does the talk of winning. A conversation begins about how much money is enough and how much more Europe is willing to pay for someone else's conflict.