How NATO wants to take a lead in backing Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels to speak with allies exclusively about one thing - additional Patriot air defence systems. But NATO foreign ministers have discussed a broader issue at the 3-4 April meeting - how to transition military aid to Kyiv from allies to a long-term and predictable basis. And they have already greenlit preliminary planning to be completed in a few weeks.

Read more in the article by Oleh Pavliuk, a European Pravda's journalist - NATO Security Guarantee: how Alliance is preparing to take a lead in backing Ukraine. The idea of a new multi-year initiative to back Ukraine was put forward by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Before the foreign ministers meeting at NATO headquarters on 3 April, he explained that allies must "change the dynamics of our support" and "reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long haul."

The NATO Secretary General's initiative consists of two interconnected components that have been mentioned before. The first component is strengthening NATO's role in coordinating security assistance to Ukraine. The second component is the creation of a multi-billion-dollar fund to support Ukraine under NATO auspices.

Numerous media and NATO foreign ministers have confirmed: the initial proposal involves the creation of a five-year fund totaling £100 billion. If this happens, it would be an unprecedented turn in NATO policy. So far, the Alliance has tried to do everything possible to avoid directly supplying weapons, fearing escalation from Russia.

What prompted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to cross this red line? One of the main reasons is an attempt to hedge against the possibility of Donald Trump's future presidency in the United States. So, a multi-year fund under the auspices of the Alliance, financing assistance to Ukraine with weapons, could serve as a "security cushion" in case of unpredictable actions by a potential Trump administration.

Also, the fact that this is Jens Stoltenberg's last year as NATO Secretary General plays a role. Stoltenberg's usually restrained rhetoric has become increasingly emotional lately when it comes to Ukraine. Following the NATO foreign ministers meeting, Jens Stoltenberg optimistically announced that they "agreed to move forward with planning for a greater NATO role in coordinating security assistance and training."

The Secretary General's proposal did not receive approval from all NATO members. It's only the beginning of its development, which, according to Stoltenberg himself, will take several weeks. One of the proposals actively promoted by the Baltic countries is to fill the fund in proportion to the GDP of NATO member countries.

The idea of a GDP share was previously supported by the European Parliament. Even German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it "nice." Another proposal, first reported by the British newspaper The Telegraph, suggests that Germany (16%), the United Kingdom (11%), and France (10%), along with the United States (16%), will bear the main finance burden to show that the United States is not "carrying" the largest share of military aid to Kyiv.

Regardless, such colossal funding, with the participation of all NATO members, will be a significant challenge.

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