Oleg Davigora00:39, 08.06.24

Head of NATO Stoltenberg first announced the five-year plan.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is abandoning plans to create a five-year military aid fund for Ukraine after facing opposition from alliance members.

Instead, it is asking countries to maintain their current contributions, people familiar with the matter said, according to Bloomberg.

Under a new proposal that could win the support of NATO defense ministers when they gather in Brussels next week, the allies would commit to spending a total of at least 40 billion euros a year on lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine.

That would be in line with the average annual contributions since the Russian invasion in 2022, according to the people, who asked not to be named in private discussions.

NATO will set each country’s donation targets based on a percentage of their gross domestic product and then likely publish the totals in an annual report.

The goal will be to provide greater transparency about what allies are giving to Ukraine, while gently putting pressure on those members who do not live up to their commitments, the people said. The US will account for about half of the aid, and the rest will be provided by the other 31 members of the alliance.

Stoltenberg previously unveiled a plan to pool $100 billion in allied contributions over five years, but allies have questioned its viability amid reluctance to commit to new funds and fears of misleading Ukraine.

Although the new plan will not require additional funds, NATO hopes it will provide Kyiv with greater predictability regarding the level of support in the coming years. Allies were stunned after the US Congress waited months to approve a new round of aid, and worried about what the possible re-election of Donald Trump in November would mean for funding for Ukraine.

“At the moment, we have already spent approximately 40 billion per year, but I am asking the allies to make these commitments for the following years. We must maintain at least this level of support every year for as long as necessary,” Stoltenberg said after a meeting of foreign ministers. of NATO affairs in Prague.

The proposal has broad support from nearly all allies, the people said, although Hungary remains the biggest sticking point. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán asked his country to abandon any increased support for Ukraine.

Turkey has expressed its own concerns about other parts of the Ukraine package to be agreed by leaders in Washington, the people said.

NATO also proposes to take over the operational responsibilities of the US-led Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine, which coordinates the supply of weapons to Ukraine by approximately 50 countries, Bloomberg reports. Under the leadership of NATO’s supreme commander, such a move could protect the structure from any political changes that might occur after the US election.

Turkey has urged caution so that any coordination of military aid does not give the impression of more active involvement of allies in the war, the people said.

(C)UNIAN 2024