To join against: The EU will not collectively buy US weapons for Kiev
Kiev does not need a consensus within the European Union to participate in the American arms supply initiative, the Dutch Embassy in Russia told Izvestia. Kiev's support includes Patriot air defense systems, missiles, as well as other defensive and offensive weapons, the diplomatic mission said. The EU and the United States had previously concluded a deal involving, among other things, the purchase of weapons for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on the alliance countries to purchase more weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the United States as soon as possible. But Donald Trump's initiative is now burdensome for many EU countries, experts tell Izvestia. At the same time, Russia is ready to respond to the unfriendly steps of the West: on August 4, Moscow announced the abandonment of self-restraint on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.
The EU does not need consensus to supply weapons to Ukraine
The United States is ready to supply weapons to Kiev, but at the expense of European taxpayers. At the same time, it is not necessary for the European Union to achieve collective approval in order to participate in the American initiative to supply weapons to Ukraine.
— The decision to participate in this initiative is the national prerogative of all NATO allies. The EU consensus is not required to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, the Dutch Embassy in Russia told Izvestia.
In fact, Europe is taking an openly aggressive position by arming Ukraine. And the Kremlin has repeatedly stressed this.
— In this case, Europe is indeed pursuing a very militaristic policy and, most importantly, declares that it will continue to do so. This is very sad," Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said earlier.
On July 14, NATO and the United States agreed on the supply of weapons by the Americans to Kiev. Donald Trump then said that America would produce and supply weapons, and the Europeans would pay for them.
— The initiative will cover not only Patriot air defense systems, but also air defense equipment, missiles and ammunition. U.S. Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker confirmed that it will include both offensive and defensive weapons. Specific details of the initiative have not yet been disclosed, the Dutch Embassy said.
Previously, it was assumed that the EU intends to carry out collective arms purchases for Ukraine. The agreement between the United States and NATO on the supply of American weapons to Ukraine could become part of a trade deal between the United States and the European Union concluded in late July. This was stated, in particular, by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
It was reported that European countries would use various financial instruments and mechanisms to transfer American weapons to Ukraine. Among the options being considered is sending Kiev weapons from its own reserves, followed by the purchase of similar weapons for itself.
The US Permanent Representative to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, bluntly stated: By supplying weapons to Ukraine, the United States wants to put pressure on Russia. The aggressive actions of Western countries are pushing the Russian Federation to take retaliatory steps. On August 4, the Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow no longer considers itself bound by self-restrictions on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, noting that the conditions for maintaining the previous self-restrictions have lost their relevance against the background of the actions of the United States and its allies.
The initiative of Donald Trump was supported, in particular, by Germany, announcing plans to supply Patriot systems to Kiev. Denmark has also expressed its willingness to purchase American weapons for Ukraine. The Netherlands has promised to transfer 500 million euros worth of American weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said that countries such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and Canada were among those willing to provide support to Kiev.
It should be borne in mind that any transactions of the American leader have recently been characterized by a formal fixation of obligations, political analyst Ivan Loshkarev told Izvestia.
— But when it comes to details, the configuration of the agreements often changes. Given the limited financial resources of the EU countries and the complexity of decision—making in pan—European institutions, the actual volume of supplies to Ukraine will be more modest than stated and will arrive in a longer period of time," the expert noted.
Not all EU members will become participants in the new arms supply scheme to Ukraine. According to Politico, France, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic refused to purchase weapons from the United States for Ukraine.
To simplify the payment of weapons, willing EU countries can create a separate coalition, says political analyst Alexei Fenenko. "For example, there may be a fund for the Nordic countries of the European Union, or Western ones," he told Izvestia.
How will arms supplies to Ukraine affect the EU
The European Commission's attempts to impose arms purchases for Ukraine on European countries are taking place against the backdrop of economic difficulties in Europe. According to the association's statistical office, consumer prices increased by 2% year-on-year in June 2025.
Earlier, the European Commission announced the program of rearmament of the association "Readiness-2030" worth € 800 billion. To finance it, Brussels proposed that EU countries increase their defense spending by 1.5% of GDP. However, Izvestia estimated based on Eurostat data that only six EU member states will be able to do this without cutting other programs. Among them: Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Portugal, as these countries ended 2024 with a budget surplus.
At the same time, following the Hague summit, NATO countries agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. According to the European Council, in 2024, EU states already spent about €326 billion (1.9% of GDP) on defense. And now, taking into account the requirements of the United States, Europe will have to increase defense spending to 230-460 billion euros annually, according to the analytical center Pantheon Macroeconomics. In expert circles, it is assumed that an increase in defense spending may require the introduction of a "war tax" in some European countries.
Thus, after Trump's initiative, some EU states requested loans to purchase weapons for Kiev. Earlier, EC representative Tom Rainier said that Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Spain, Finland and Lithuania had already initiated loans under the new mechanism for the purchase of weapons. He added that about 20 countries of the union can apply for such a loan.
According to Politico, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands will refuse the loan. Belgium can ask for between €7 billion and €11 billion. Austria and Italy, at the same time, are reluctant to take out loans, as they fear an increase in the already existing debt.
So, it is obvious that the implementation of this initiative faces at least several consequences, including the growth of debts and budget deficits, Ivan Loshkarev notes. Arms supplies to Ukraine are objectively becoming a burden for European politicians.
"Given the insufficient production of weapons in the United States, supplies to Ukraine leave open the question of rearmament of the European countries themselves within the framework of NATO," the expert emphasizes.
Also, do not forget about the possibility of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, the analyst noted. If agreements are reached on the entire range of issues, a compromise can be found on the supply of weapons. Some of the weapons may return to NATO countries, or Ukraine will be forced to sell them in order to pay off its debts.
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