NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg abandons plans to create a five-year fund for military aid to Ukraine after facing opposition from alliance members.
Today articles such as "European Justice" and a number of Ukrainian agencies, as well as the Russian media, including the official TASS. However, all materials refer to a Bloomberg article from June 7, which talks about a search for a new proposal that would surely receive the support of NATO defense ministers.
The posts appear in the week before the meeting of NATO members in Brussels.
A commitment of at least 40 billion euros in annual aid to Ukraine is expected. Aid includes both defense and arms aid as well as humanitarian packages.
According to Bloomberg's sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, this would be in line with the average annual contributions by member countries that have been made since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. NATO will set donation targets for each country based on a percentage of its gross domestic product and will then likely publish the results in an annual report.
The aim will be to provide greater transparency about what allies are providing to Ukraine, while also putting light pressure on those members of the Alliance who are not living up to their commitments. The United States will provide about half of the aid, and the rest will be provided by other members of the Alliance.
Stoltenberg earlier proposed a plan for $100 billion in installments over the next five years, but allies have questioned its feasibility. A number of allies also expressed concern that by adopting the plan, Ukraine could be misled. Although the new plan will not include new money, NATO hopes it will give Kiev more predictability about the level of support in the coming years.
In addition to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has asked for his country to be able to withdraw from deepening support for Ukraine, Turkey has also expressed concerns about some parts of the so-called Ukrainian package.
According to Bloomberg's sources, this second proposal has broader support from almost all members of the Alliance.
NATO is also proposing to take over the operational responsibilities of the US-led Ukrainian Defense Contact Group, which coordinates arms transfers from some 50 countries to Ukraine. However, Turkey called for caution so that any coordination of military aid does not create the impression of greater involvement of the allies in the conflict, the publication notes.
In April, NATO, at the suggestion of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, reached preliminary agreement to start planning long-term military support for Ukraine by creating a fund worth 100 billion euros.