Stoltenberg emphasizes need for NATO commitments to provide military assistance to Ukraine
Photo: Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine needs to gain more predictability regarding military assistance from NATO countries. This can be achieved through commitments from the Alliance, according to a press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The Secretary General expressed hope that by the NATO summit in Washington, it will be possible to agree on the financial commitments of the Alliance countries regarding military assistance to Ukraine.
He added that soon the Alliance will need to coordinate military assistance and the training of Ukrainian soldiers. This effort will be led by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Christopher Cavoli.
According to Stoltenberg, coordination of assistance will then take place at the level of all NATO countries, not just the United States, as it is currently.
"And I think this is one example of how we, by using NATO, can have a more robust, more predictable framework, and especially combined with a commitment of spending at least 40 billion euros per year (on aid to Ukraine annually - ed.). This will ensure that we have a more long-term, more predictable support for Ukraine," added the Secretary General.
He mentioned that he appreciates the voluntary contributions from Alliance member countries, but now more predictability and accountability are needed, as well as a "fair burden sharing." There have been instances where NATO countries announced aid but did not follow through with deliveries.
"And if we turn this into not voluntary contributions, but NATO commitments, of course, it will become more robust, it will become more reliable. And for all these reasons, I believe that a stronger NATO role will help Ukraine to get the predictability it needs," emphasized the Secretary General.
According to Stoltenberg, when the Alliance signals its readiness for a long-term war, it increases the likelihood that Russian President Vladimir Putin will realize he cannot win on the battlefield and will be forced to come to the negotiating table.
What preceded
On May 30, Reuters reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on allies to adopt a decision to allocate 40 billion euros in aid to Ukraine annually.
This is necessary to sustain the current level of assistance that the Ukrainian military receives from NATO member countries in the long term.
