Stoltenberg abandons idea of €100 billion fund for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has abandoned plans to create a five-year military aid fund for Ukraine after facing opposition from Alliance members.
Source: Bloomberg; European Pravda
Details: According to a new proposal that could gain the support of NATO defence ministers when they meet in Brussels next week, Alliance members will commit to spending at least €40 billion annually on lethal and non-lethal aid for Ukraine.
Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said this aligns with the average annual contributions since Russia's invasion in 2022.
NATO will set donation targets for each country based on their gross domestic product (GDP) percentage. NATO will likely publish these figures in an annual report.
The aim is to provide greater transparency on what allies supply to Ukraine while also applying soft pressure on those who fail to meet their commitments. The US is expected to cover about half of the aid, with the rest coming from other Alliance members.
Earlier, Stoltenberg had proposed a plan for a pooled US$100 billion contribution from Alliance members over five years. However, allies questioned its viability due to reluctance to commit to new funds and concerns about potentially misleading Ukraine.
Although the new plan won't involve new funds, NATO hopes it will offer Kyiv more predictability regarding support levels in the coming years.
According to sources, this proposal has great support from nearly all Alliance members. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has requested that his country be allowed to reject any deepened support for Ukraine.
According to the sources, Türkiye has expressed concerns about other parts of the Ukrainian aid package that need to be agreed upon by leaders in Washington.
NATO also proposes taking over the operational duties of the US-led Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which coordinates weapon supplies from around 50 countries to Ukraine. Türkiye has urged caution to ensure that any coordination of military aid does not give the impression of greater allied involvement in the war.
Background: In April, under NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's proposal, NATO agreed to start planning long-term military support for Ukraine by creating a €100 billion fund.
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