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What does the NATO Secretary's proposal for military aid to Ukraine contain?

2024-05-30 08:40:00Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
What does the NATO Secretary's proposal for military aid to Ukraine
Jens Stoltenberg

NATO foreign ministers on Friday will discuss a new military aid to Ukraine, proposed by the alliance's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, which is expected to be approved during the month of July in Washington.

Due to the uncertainty about the American support to Ukraine in the future in case of the election of Mr. Donald Trump as the president of the United States, Secretary Stoltenberg has proposed that the military aid to Kiev be determined for a longer period of time, in addition to a multi-year financial commitment.

But the 32 member states of NATO have different attitudes regarding this plan. Ministers will try to reconcile positions on Thursday and Friday during a meeting in Prague.

Below we present the main points of NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg's plan as well as the issues that must be resolved before the high-level meeting on July 9-11, according to officials and diplomats.

NATO coordination

Secretary Stoltenberg has proposed that NATO take over the coordination of international military assistance to Ukraine, giving the alliance a more direct role in countering Russia's aggression without committing its forces to the conflict.

NATO would take over the coordination of arms and supply aid that is now done through the US-led Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, made up of about 50 countries, the so-called Ramstein Group, according to the US airbase in Germany, which was also their first meeting.

The alliance would also coordinate the training of Ukrainian forces, an aspect in which the European Union and Britain are heavily involved.

The move is seen as an attempt to provide a level of protection against possible actions by Mr Trump, placing coordination under the NATO umbrella and giving the alliance's military personnel more autonomy, with less direct political interference.

But diplomats acknowledge that such a step would have limited impact, since the United States is NATO's main power and is providing most of Ukraine's weapons. If Washington wants to cut off Western aid to Ukraine, it can still do so.

NATO must also find a solution to the insistence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has made it clear that his country will not participate in this new effort, arguing that such a step would bring the alliance more close to a catastrophic war with Russia.

Other members of NATO and the European Union have expressed their anger at Hungary's continued blockade of aid to Ukraine, which they say is catering to Russia's interests.

Even the very name of this new NATO initiative is stirring up controversy. Germany opposes calling it a "mission", fearing it creates the impression that NATO is going to war with Russia.

NATO also needs to address Ukrainian concerns that coordination under NATO's umbrella could intimidate countries outside the alliance that do not want to identify with it.

Financial Commitment

Secretary Stoltenberg has proposed that allies undertake a multi-year financial commitment to military aid to Ukraine, so that the country can better plan and to send a signal to Kiev and Moscow that the West remains committed for the long term.

Officials have cited an amount of 100 billion euros ($108.13 billion) over the next five years, although Mr. Stoltenberg has not mentioned any figures publicly.

That part of the plan has met with resistance and been met with skepticism by some allies, who say states cannot commit to such specific sums in advance, especially if future elections change course on Ukraine.

Other details remain unclear, such as the total amount and how contributions from each country may be calculated.

Membership aspirations

At last year's NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shocked NATO leaders with a stern statement on social media when it became clear that Ukraine would not be formally invited to to join the alliance.

NATO's official position is that Ukraine will one day join the alliance, but not while it is at war.

"Ukraine's future is in NATO," NATO leaders declared at the Vilnius meeting.

Since then, a group of allies have entered into bilateral agreements to provide arms and other forms of support to Ukraine to make up shortfalls until it becomes a member of NATO, which is less than the alliance's Article 5 defense, which means that an attack on one member is an attack on all its members.

But Ukraine and some of its allies in Eastern Europe who are members of NATO continue to seek an invitation to membership or at least a clearer path to membership. NATO officials are debating among themselves whether they should use different language for the invitation in Washington.

"Ukraine's membership continues to remain an unresolved issue," a military source said.

While Eastern European states are pushing for a quick membership of Ukraine, the United States and Germany are leading a group of states that are being more cautious./VOA


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