NATO wants to take more control over arms supplies to Ukraine and create a new fund to support it / Article

Until now, aid to Ukraine has mostly been coordinated between various temporary formats, which were established quickly enough to be able to provide coordinated aid to Ukraine, and NATO has so far emphasized that it does not provide lethal aid to the country, namely various weapons. This is done only by individual members of the alliance.

However, the NATO Secretary General expressed that it is time to change this, because it looks like this war could continue for some time and Ukraine’s path to get closer to NATO will also be several years long.

“This is how we will provide what Ukraine needs. And that is long-term, predictable and strong support. It will also send a message to Moscow that they will not outlast us. The reality is that if we want this war to end, then we need to convince Moscow as soon as possible that they are not going to win on the battlefield, that they are not going to outlast us, then we can get a peace treaty where Russia understands that it cannot win the war and that it has to sit down at the negotiating table to negotiate a treaty , which will state that Ukraine wins as a sovereign, independent country,” Stoltenberg said.

Officials claim that such a plan could ensure a continuous flow of weapons to Ukraine even if Donald Trump were to return to the post of US president in November of this year.

The move would also mark a major turning point for the Western military alliance, which has so far refused to send weapons to Ukraine for fear that it could bring NATO closer to a conflict with Russia.

However, some of the officials who met on Wednesday warned that there is still a lot of uncertainty about where the funding will come from, and the plan could change significantly by the summit in Washington in July.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hajja Labiba said the meeting would discuss the “feasibility” of a proposal that would see NATO members contribute according to the size of their economies.

“But it’s dangerous to make promises we can’t keep,” she said.

German Foreign Minister Annalene Burbock also supported the creation of “long-term structures” to support Ukraine, but warned against “juggling” with unclear figures.

Meanwhile, Hungary, one of the most Russia-friendly NATO countries, said it would not support any proposal that could “bring the alliance closer to war.”

The outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Krišjānis Kariņš (“New Unity”) is participating in this meeting from Latvia. He was very positive about this idea and said that it actually shows the potential and positive evolution in thinking that exists in this organization.

Namely, if a few years ago some people doubted whether Ukraine needed support and what kind of support it could be, now the NATO Secretary General is proposing to create such a fund, which would operate for five years and provide stable support to the war-torn country.

“It would send two clear signals – one is to the government of Ukraine that we really are with you for the next five years, which is hopefully well after the end of this war. And the other is a clear signal to Moscow that our support is not today whether tomorrow depends on one or the other or a third political force, but that this is a long-term commitment. And it gives a very clear signal to Moscow that not only is the matter with NATO serious, but that they will not be able to win in Ukraine at all,” said Soldier.