ANKARA ¨C Ukraine¡¯s ambassador to Turkey said he expects NATO to discuss financial support for Kyiv at its summit in July, suggesting each member contributes a small proportion of its budget, despite the proposal not gaining traction with allies.

Ambassador Nariman Dzhelialov said on Tuesday he hopes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would ?attend the July 7-8 summit in Ankara, adding that Kyiv also wants members to reaffirm support for Ukraine¡¯s strategic goal ?of joining ?the military alliance.

Kyiv depends on international aid to cover its budgetary needs and fund its war ?with Russia.

Zelenskyy called last June for Western partners to allocate 0.25% of their gross domestic product to helping Kyiv ramp up weapons production and officials said NATO boss Mark Rutte had floated the idea of alliance members ¡ª except the U.S. ¡ª spending ?that amount for Ukraine.

However, the idea has faced resistance and Rutte said last week that he did not believe it would be accepted. ?Diplomats said that discussions were ongoing about ideas to demonstrate NATO support for Ukraine at the summit

Despite the lack of traction for dedicating a fixed portion of GDP to ?Ukraine aid, the ambassador suggested Kyiv is pushing for ?the idea.

¡°A mechanism here (could be) one in which every NATO member contributes a part of their finances to support strengthening Ukraine¡¯s security capabilities,¡± he said, acknowledging that not every ?ally wants to allocate resources ?as they try to boost their own defenses in line with NATO rules.

¡°But ?we are not saying ¡¯give us 100%,¡¯ just a very small piece,¡± he said, without elaborating.

Germany¡¯s Johann ?Wadephul separately proposed ?at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers last week that European NATO countries boost bilateral aid to Ukraine, three diplomats.

The German proposal, one of the diplomats said, calls for European NATO governments to provide €30 billion ($35 billion) to €40 billion to Ukraine per year this year and next year. Germany already plans to provide Ukraine with ?around €11 billion in bilateral aid in 2026. The sources did not say whether European allies were aligned on that suggestion.

The summit comes amid tensions between Washington and European allies over a variety of issues. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that NATO partners significantly boost defense expenditure, as the U.S. administration maintains that European allies should ultimately assume primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the ?continent.

Dzhelialov ?said Ukraine welcomes Turkey¡¯s efforts to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, adding that Ukraine was ?ready for talks with Russia at the leaders¡¯ level.

He said Turkey is the most appropriate venue, since it hosted previous talks ?and maintains ties with both sides. He said the defense industry stood out as...