NATO chief proposes “predictable” aid for Ukraine, as part of a “multi-year” package

Arriving at the NATO ministers’ meeting on Wednesday morning, Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance’s general secretary, pleaded for a change in the way aid is channeled to Ukraine, reports The Guardian.

He said officials would now discuss how NATO could take more responsibility for coordinating military equipment for Kiev and that ministers would discuss a multi-year package.

Initially, NATO as an organization stayed away from direct lethal military assistance to Kiev, as a US-led contact group led coordination efforts.

“Ukraine has urgent needs – any delay in providing support is having consequences on the battlefield as we speak,” the NATO chief said. “So we need to change the dynamics of our support.”

Stoltenberg added:

• “We need to ensure reliable and predictable security assistance for Ukraine in the long term, so that we rely less on voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments, less on short-term offers and more on multi-year promises.
• Ministers will therefore discuss how NATO could take on more responsibility for coordinating military equipment and training for Ukraine, anchoring this in a robust NATO framework. We will also discuss a multi-year financial commitment to sustain our support.
• This ministerial meeting will pave the way for consensus on these issues as we prepare for the summit in Washington.
• NATO allies provide 99% of all military support to Ukraine.
• Therefore, if we did more within NATO, our efforts would be more efficient and effective”.

Asked about his proposal, Stoltenberg declined to elaborate, but said the allies were discussing how to institutionalize support within NATO and how to make it more predictable.

A day ago, it was reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposed a military aid package of 100 billion euros over five years for Ukraine.

Asked about the proposal, a senior European diplomat told The Guardian:

“100 billion euros for 5 years seems quite a lot, but it is a small effort that we have to pay for Ukraine to win. Otherwise, the price will be much higher, I assure you”.

The diplomat added: “We still haven’t figured out how to build these 100 billion for 5 years. We could reach a solution that also includes bilateral contributions for Ukraine, which could then be bearable for everyone.”