Berlin “irritates” NATO allies with disputes over name of Ukraine support programme

Germany is supposedly irritating many allies in the North Atlantic Alliance by resisting the use of the word "mission" in the title of a new programme to support Ukraine. Source: dpa news agency, citing diplomatic sources, followed by other German media outlets. Details: The programme is reportedly to be called NATO Mission Ukraine, with Germany opposing the word "mission" out of fear that it will create a false impression of NATO's alleged intentions to send Western troops to Ukraine and that Russian propaganda will further use this to promote the narrative of an "aggressive bloc" and all sorts of disinformation.

For virtually all other allies, Berlin's arguments seem to be completely "incomprehensible" and "unnecessary thoughtfulness towards Russia".

Nevertheless, Germany fully supports the substantive component of the support plan. Berlin, for its part, is allegedly proposing to call the support programme PACT, an acronym for Pledge Assistance Coordination and Training, which would literally describe that NATO's plan involves coordinating military assistance to Ukraine. However, this idea found no support among other allies.

Germany's Federal Foreign Office has declined to comment on the debate, citing the confidentiality of negotiations between the allies. Background: 

• The discussions focus on transferring coordination efforts to support Ukraine from the US-led Ramstein format to NATO. This shift is due to the uncertainty surrounding future US policy if presidential candidate Donald Trump wins.

  The new programme is expected to be finalised at the summit in Washington.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes the NATO summit will approve a new system for funding Ukraine's defence worth US£40 billion.

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