NATO defence ministers convened on Thursday, aiming to finalise a new strategy for providing long-term security assistance and military training to Ukraine. This initiative comes after Hungary pledged not to veto the plan, provided it is not obligated to participate.
The ministers are meeting for over two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels, marking the final high-level discussions before a summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington from July 9-11. Here, NATO leaders are anticipated to announce financial backing for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Western allies are intensifying their military support as Russian forces launch renewed attacks along the extensive 1,000-kilometre front line, exploiting delays in U.S. military aid. Additionally, European Union funds have been stalled due to political disagreements.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, presiding over Thursday’s meeting, emphasised the necessity for Ukraine’s armed forces to have predictable long-term support regarding weapons, ammunition, and funds.
“The whole idea is to minimise the risk of gaps and delays as we saw earlier this year,” Stoltenberg told reporters. The delays, he noted, “are one of the reasons why the Russians are now able to push and to actually occupy more land in Ukraine.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s Western backers have routinely met under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, led by the Pentagon, to gather weapons and ammunition for Kyiv. A fresh meeting took place at NATO headquarters on Thursday.
While these meetings have yielded substantial battlefield support, they have often been ad-hoc and unpredictable. Stoltenberg has led an initiative for NATO to provide more structured support.
The proposed plan involves the 32-nation military alliance coordinating the security assistance and training efforts, utilising NATO’s command structure, and tapping into funds from its common budget.
Stoltenberg expressed hopes that Biden and his counterparts would agree in Washington to maintain the current funding levels for military support to Ukraine, which he estimates at around 40 billion euros ($43 billion) worth of equipment annually.
On Wednesday, Hungary announced it would not veto the plan as long as participation remains voluntary.
“I asked the Secretary-General to ensure that all military actions outside NATO territory are voluntary, in line with NATO rules and our traditions,” stated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. “Hungary has received the guarantees we need.”
While NATO does not send weapons or ammunition to Ukraine as an organisation and has no plans to deploy troops on the ground, many of its members provide bilateral support, collectively contributing over 90% of Ukraine’s military aid.
The other 31 allies regard Russia’s war on Ukraine as a fundamental security threat to Europe. However, most, including Biden, have been careful to prevent NATO from being drawn into a broader conflict with Russia.
NATO operates on the principle that an attack on any single ally will be met with a collective response from all members.
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