“Ukraine has urgent needs,” Mr. Stoltenberg said at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers held in Brussels. – Any delay in aid delivery already has consequences on the battlefield. Therefore, we need to change the dynamics of our aid.”
“We must ensure that Ukraine receives reliable and predictable long-term aid, so that it relies less on voluntary contributions and short-term deals and more on NATO and other multi-year commitments.”
Diplomats and officials have said Mr. Stoltenberg has proposed setting up a $100 billion fund. euro fund to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
“Moscow must understand that it will not be able to achieve its goals during the battle and it will not be able to outlast us,” Mr. Stoltenberg said without giving further details about his proposal.
At the two-day meeting, foreign ministers were to tentatively discuss a five-year plan, with NATO making every effort to prepare an aid package for Ukraine before a summit in Washington in July.
Diplomats warn that there are many questions about funding sources and that the proposal itself could still be fundamentally changed before the summit.
In addition, according to Mr. Stoltenberg’s plan, NATO would take over part of the responsibility for coordinating the supply of weapons to Kyiv, which is currently the responsibility of the US-led group.
Officials say this would help ensure the supply of weapons to Ukraine in the event that Donald Trump returns to the White House in November.
This would mean a big change for the Western military alliance, which has so far refused to send weapons to Ukraine, fearing that it would provoke a NATO conflict with Russia.
Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Krisjanis Karins 100 billion. called the euro fund “a very good offer”.
“That’s exactly what we need to think about – how to mobilize common resources so that we can help Ukraine more effectively,” he said.
But Hungary, one of NATO’s closest allies to Russia, said it would not support any proposal that would “bring the alliance closer to the brink of war.”
Stoltenberg’s proposal comes at a time when the much smaller and less well-equipped Ukrainian forces are doing their best to hold off against Russia.
60 billion is currently stuck in the US Congress. funding package, but lawmakers are expected to approve it in the coming weeks.
Tags: proposal billion euro fund NATO called reliable assistance Ukraine
