Stoltenberg proposes that NATO adopt $100bn aid plan for Ukraine - Financial Times
According to the Financial Times, NATO is working on the idea of a five-year aid package for Ukraine worth up to $100 billion, which would be valid regardless of possible political changes in the West
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.
"This will be a Rubicon crossing. NATO will have a role in coordinating lethal support for Ukraine... I see signs of a consensus emerging," one diplomat with knowledge of the situation told the publication.
According to several diplomats, the so-called "Mission for Ukraine" proposal was put forward by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. According to the plan, the alliance would have to jointly coordinate the use of an estimated $100 billion to be provided by member states.
If approved, the proposal would give NATO control over the US-led contact group on Ukraine and allow the alliance to manage the supply of lethal weapons to Kyiv, the Financial Times explains. It is noted that work on Stoltenberg's plan is taking place against the backdrop of the US Congress's failure to agree on a large aid package for Ukraine since last autumn.
At the same time, Stoltenberg's proposal, if implemented, would involve much more modest American financial participation than previously planned. For example, according to one of the schemes under consideration, the United States would have to transfer only $16 billion to the NATO general fund.
The FT notes that this proposal will be discussed later this week by NATO foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels. It is noted that Stoltenberg presented the proposal as a way to "protect the mechanism from the winds of political change". The Financial Times cites the possible victory of former US President Trump in the November 2024 elections as one of these changes.
Stoltenberg plans to reach an agreement before the NATO summit in Washington in July this year. At the same time, the two diplomats noted that the plan requires the agreement of all NATO members, and the negotiations could take months.
According to the Financial Times, supporters of Stoltenberg's idea believe that if they agree to establish such a fund, NATO countries "will be able to present Kyiv with concrete results of the Alliance summit, given that a significant number of member states oppose Ukraine's desired progress towards NATO membership".
