Rise of far-right parties threatens Europe's defence spending and Ukraine aid

The surge in popularity of far-right parties in a dozen European countries is raising alarms within NATO about dwindling public support for higher defence outlays and continued aid to Ukraine. Parties in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Romania are exploiting inflation and rising living costs to argue against military spending and EU-wide defence projects. Leaders like Marine Le Pen have urged limits on Ukrainian assistance, while Italy’s Roberto Vannacci has questioned the justification for current defence budgets.

A poll by the ECFR shows less than half of respondents would back defence tax hikes, with strongest resistance in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland. NATO officials fear that a slowdown in spending by major contributors such as France and Italy could stall the alliance’s 5% GDP target for 2035 and weaken its deterrence posture toward Russia.