On Wednesday 3 April, the foreign ministers of the allied countries discussed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s proposal to provide €100 billion in aid to Ukraine over 5 years. He wants to transform NATO’s global assistance programme into a multi-year assistance programme.
“All the Allies agree on the need to support Ukraine at this critical time. (...) They have agreed to move forward in planning for an enhanced NATO role in coordinating security assistance and training. The details will take shape over the coming weeks. (...) Ukraine can count on NATO’s support now and for a long time to come”, stressed the Secretary General, without going into detail.
Noting that Ukraine had “urgent” needs in terms of deliveries of arms, munitions and equipment, Mr Stoltenberg felt that “any delay in the provision of support (had) consequences on the battlefield as we speak”. “We therefore need to change the dynamic of our support. We must guarantee Ukraine reliable and predictable security assistance over the long term”, he explained. According to the Secretary General, support for Ukraine should be less dependent on short-term voluntary offers and more dependent on NATO’s long-term commitments.
“What is clear is that we need new money and more money for Ukraine, and we will need it for many years to come”, added Mr Stoltenberg, while the US Congress is still blocking $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. The Secretary General called for an “urgent” decision from Congress, pointing out that every day without a decision had consequences on the battlefield.
On her arrival at the meeting, the Belgian minister, Hadja Lahbib, explained that the financing of the NATO plan could be based on the GDP of each Ally. “The important thing to remember is that this is not charity, but an investment in our own protection. On the other hand, it’s dangerous to make promises we can’t keep”, she added.
For Latvian minister Krisjanis Karins, the fund is a “very good proposal”. “This is the direction that we need to be thinking in, how we can pool our common resources to be more effective in our aid to Ukraine”, he added.
Quoted by government spokesman Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó warned that his country would not support any proposal “that could bring the Alliance closer to war or move it from a defensive to an offensive coalition”, warning against the threat of further escalation. According to Mr Stoltenberg, the planning launched by NATO will make it possible to respond to Hungary’s concerns.
According to diplomats quoted by AFP, in addition to the €100 billion, the Secretary General is proposing to the Allies that NATO should take greater control of the coordination of arms deliveries to Kyiv, which is currently the responsibility of the Defence for Ukraine contact group, made up of around fifty states. NATO is part of the Contact Group.
No decisions are expected to be taken at this ministerial meeting, which continues on Thursday with a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting attended by the Minister, Dmytro Kuleba. On his arrival in Brussels, the latter asked for all the Patriot missile batteries available in the world that could be supplied to Ukraine - which is under heavy Russian air attack - to be delivered to him “as soon as possible”.
Strengthening European support
Before holding talks with the Allies, Mr Kuleba met the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, to discuss the latest developments on the ground, in particular the recent massive attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure, according to a press release from the European External Action Service.
Mr Borrell stressed that these “barbaric attacks” only strengthened the EU’s determination to increase its support for Kyiv and that the EU and the Member States would do more and faster to support Ukraine militarily.
Mr Kuleba has been invited to take part, together with his defence colleague Roustem Umerov, in the Foreign Affairs Council on 22 April in Luxembourg “to discuss Ukraine’s needs and better coordinate EU and Member State support”, according to the EEAS. Mr Borrell also invited Ukraine to co-organise the EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Forum, scheduled for 6 May in Brussels. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)