Katerina Chernovol20:21, 02.04.24

Diplomats say the U.S. share of the $100 billion will be significantly less than the bipartisan aid package whose approval has been delayed.

NATO is developing a plan to provide a five-year military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $100 billion. This is how the Alliance is trying to protect Ukraine from the “wind of political change” that could lead to a second Trump presidency.

The Financial Times writes about this . It is noted that the proposal for the so-called Mission for Ukraine is put forward by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. NATO foreign ministers will discuss it on Wednesday, April 3.

If the plan is approved, the Alliance will also gain control of the US-led arms support group Ramstein. This will allow NATO to manage the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The secretary general, who will step down this fall, is aiming to reach an agreement before the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington in July.

“This will be a crossing of the Rubicon. NATO will play a role in coordinating lethal assistance for Ukraine. I see a consensus emerging, and I think it will be there by the time we get on the plane to Washington,” said one the publication’s interlocutors.

The FT notes that the proposal to create the mission comes as the Biden administration tries to get Congress to approve a bipartisan $60 billion package of military support for Ukraine. Republican leader Donald Trump , one of the participants in the presidential elections that will take place in November, openly opposed him . Many allies see the stalemate as a harbinger of how U.S. policy toward Kyiv will change if Trump wins.

Diplomats say the U.S. share of the $100 billion will be significantly less than the bipartisan aid package whose approval has been delayed. Discussions are currently ongoing regarding the funding structure for this fund, with some insisting on the same allocation used to finance NATO’s general budget. According to it, the United States would have to provide just over $16 billion.

“Foreign ministers will discuss the best way to organize NATO’s support for Ukraine to make it stronger, more predictable and resilient,” a NATO spokesman said, adding that discussions were expected to continue ahead of the July summit.

The two diplomats warned that the fund would need the support of all 32 members of the alliance. There are likely to be months of negotiations ahead that could lead to parts of the proposal being eliminated.

Some resistance is expected from states that oppose the provision of weapons to Ukraine, such as Hungary. Those countries that are afraid that this will mean direct participation of NATO in the war may also speak out against it, since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin often tries to portray the invasion of Ukraine as a confrontation between Russia and the Alliance.

“We continue to work with our friends in Europe and Canada to ensure that support continues to flow [to Ukraine]. This is the focus at NATO headquarters. I don’t see anyone taking their foot off the gas. I see countries putting forward new ones every week.” ideas… I expect this will be the focus of the ministerial meeting that starts tomorrow,” said US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith.

(C)UNIAN 2024