Stoltenberg Proposes 100 Billion Euro Military Aid Fund For Ukraine, Preparing NATO For P

Under the plan, NATO would take over some coordination work from the US-led ad hoc coalition known as the Ramstein Group – a step intended in part to protect against a possible reduction in US support if Donald Trump is returning to the White House, said the quoted diplomats.

The proposal is expected to be discussed at a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday and Thursday, with the aim of finalizing a package of measures in time for the alliance’s Washington summit, which will be held in July.

Until now, NATO as an organization has limited itself to non-lethal aid to Ukraine, fearing that a more direct role could trigger an escalation of tensions with Russia. Most allies, however, supply weapons to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.

But diplomats said there was a growing view within NATO that the time had come to put military aid to Ukraine on a more sustainable, long-term basis, and that the Western alliance was best placed to take a large part. from this role.

Also, some said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s threats, according to which he will consider the various measures taken by NATO to be escalating, did not, in fact, lead to retaliatory actions against the member states.

As part of the plan, the alliance would create a NATO mission for Ukraine, although it is not yet clear whether the mission will operate inside the country, diplomats said. Some countries were cautious even about calling the operation a “mission”.

Stoltenberg said the plan is intended in part “to hedge against the winds of political change” for any NATO member country, but Trump is uppermost in the minds of many, a senior NATO diplomat revealed.

“It’s impossible to create something resistant to Trump”

NATO declined to comment in detail on Stoltenberg’s proposals, but an alliance official said the foreign ministers would “discuss the best way to organize NATO’s support for Ukraine, to make it stronger, more predictable and more durable””

“No final decisions will be made at ministerial meetings in April, and discussions will continue as we approach the summit in Washington in July,” said the official, who declined to be named.

Diplomats have warned that discussions on the proposal are at an early stage and it is not clear whether the total sum of 100 billion euros will be accepted or how it will be financed. All NATO decisions require a consensus among the 32 members of the alliance.

“It goes some way to protecting, in Trump’s case. But it is impossible to create something resistant to Trump,” said another diplomat.

“A fund of 100 billion seems very optimistic, knowing how difficult it was to reach an agreement on a smaller amount at EU level,” he added.

Photo: Profimedia Images

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