On Friday 31 May, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that the fact that the Allies could allow Ukraine to use their weapons to strike Russia in self-defence was not an escalation of the conflict.
Recalling that Russia had started the war and killed Ukrainian civilians, he considered that “self-defence is not an escalation”. “Self-defence is a fundamental right. It is enshrined in the UN Charter. Ukraine has the right and the responsibility to protect its people. And we have the right to help Ukraine upholding the right to self-defence”, stressed Mr Stoltenberg at the end of the informal meeting of allied foreign ministers.
In response to the Russian threats, the Secretary General recalled that Russia had made threats at every stage of the war. “Putin wanted to deter NATO Allies from supporting Ukraine. But [...] we will not be deterred”, he warned, adding that as the war had evolved, so had Allied support and that this would continue to evolve.
The United States and Germany announced on the same day that their weapons could be used by Ukraine to strike Russia. Earlier in the day, the Secretary General recalled that many Allies accepted that Ukraine could use the weapons it had received to defend itself, in particular by striking military targets in Russia. “We all expect this to be done in accordance with international law and in a responsible manner”, explained Mr Stoltenberg.
The Secretary General also denounced the assistance given to Russia by its “best friends” – China, North Korea (see other news) and Iran (see other news). While Iran supplies drones and North Korea ammunition, China “supports the Russian war economy by supplying a lot of dual-use equipment, advanced electronics and microprocessors”, according to Mr Stoltenberg. “Russia would therefore not have been able to wage the war it is waging against Ukraine without China’s support for its economy”, he stressed.
Strengthening NATO’s role
Ministers also discussed the possibility of giving NATO a greater coordinating role in the supply of equipment and training. Recalling that 99% of the aid provided to Kyiv came from the Allies, the Secretary General felt that “it makes sense that NATO should play a greater role in these efforts”. “This will enable us to use the NATO structures to put our support on a firmer footing, provide more predictability to Kyiv, and address both immediate and longer-term needs”, he added.
Predictable financial support
The Allies also discussed the Secretary General’s proposal for a €100 billion fund for Ukraine. Although he did not mention a figure in front of the media, Mr Stoltenberg explained that he had proposed to the Allies that they make a multi-year financial commitment to Ukraine and that they would start working on the details of such a commitment.
He pointed out that, since the Russian invasion in 2022, the Allies had disbursed around €40 billion in military support to Ukraine. “We must maintain at least this level of support each year, for as long as necessary”, argued Mr Stoltenberg. In his view, the Allies should share the burden fairly. “This will improve accountability, and give Ukraine the predictability they need to plan for the long term”, explained the Secretary General, adding that this will help prevent the delays and equipment shortfalls seen in recent months. “We need to make sure that Moscow understands that we are prepared for the long haul in our support for Ukraine”, said the Secretary General the day before.
Ministers also discussed Ukraine’s membership of NATO, although no invitation is expected to be issued at the Washington summit. “We are working on how to move Ukraine closer to membership”, explained Mr Stoltenberg, hoping that at the summit a stronger mission or structure to provide support to Ukraine – which “will help to move Ukraine closer to membership” – will be created. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)