NATO may install new special envoy to Ukraine

NATO is considering plans to install a new Kyiv-based permanent envoy to Ukraine.

Source: Foreign Policy, citing Western officials and US congressional aides familiar with the matter, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The proposal, to be unveiled at the NATO summit in Washington in July, outlines the establishment of a new role within NATO termed the "senior civilian representative" in Ukraine. This model draws inspiration from a similar position previously established by NATO during its nearly two-decade engagement in Afghanistan. The new envoy will coordinate the Alliance's support for Ukraine, including the flow of military assistance to Kyiv from various Western nations.

The high-level post would also serve as a political signal to both Ukraine and Russia of NATO's commitment to Kyiv's fight against Russian aggression.

Some Western officials welcome the creation of the new envoy as part of a larger support package for Ukraine that will be presented at the upcoming summit in Washington, DC, aimed at reinforcing that the alliance will take a more formal role in coordinating Western support for Ukraine.

"We’re looking at ways to institutionalise some of the bilateral support that has flowed to Ukraine and put it into the NATO alliance, to bring greater coherence to that assistance and to ensure that there is adequate burden-sharing across the alliance in our collective support to Ukraine," Julianne Smith, the US ambassador to NATO, told Foreign Policy.

However, other NATO officials privately see the envoy's role as part of a curtailed aid package that does not meet Kyiv's primary goal of formally joining the alliance.

"It’s part of a consolation prize we’re all trying to craft. It’s another example of things we are doing in lieu of what Ukraine actually wants us to do," said one NATO official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal NATO discussions.

Background:

• The North Atlantic Alliance and Ukraine are reportedly planning to sign an agreement to expand cooperation in defence technology and exchange intelligence regarding Russia's electronic warfare capabilities.
• It has also been reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is abandoning plans to create a five-year fund for military assistance to Ukraine after facing opposition from NATO members.

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