Some NATO allies do not agree to make specific multi-year commitments on spending on military assistance to Ukraine, which are aimed at giving Kiev greater predictability in the long term, reports Bloomberg, UNN writes.
Despite initial enthusiasm for NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg's proposal that allies would spend at least 40 billion euros (доларів 42.7 billion) a year on lethal and non - lethal aid for Ukraine, countries are now at odds over how to make spending commitments work for years to come, according to people familiar with the NATO discussions.
According to the newspaper, the allies have no problems achieving the goal of 40 billion euros this year - only the United States will surpass this figure with its additional package of 60 billion dollars for Ukraine.
"But political and legal hurdles in several capitals mean that governments will probably have to review the target each year to see if commitments should be increased or decreased, depending on the situation on the battlefield," the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Some allies, as reported, citing sources, are afraid to formalize the promise with a specific figure and simply want to promise to continue the same level of support. Meanwhile, others are concerned about the publication of exact figures about their donations, amid concerns that information about the true amount of their assistance may be disclosed, the publication points out.
"While many details still need to be agreed, including accounting, the allies may be able to make a deal if Ukraine's 40 billion euro aid is deducted from NATO's existing commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense," the sources said. However, as indicated, this could undermine the Allies ' own defense capabilities if the Treasury ministries do not agree to raise overall spending.
As reported, "NATO allies are all discussing the wording of the July statement of the leaders, which will describe Ukraine's progress on the way to joining the Alliance."
"Although this year's invitation is unlikely again, the United States and Germany oppose describing the path of Ukraine's membership in NATO as 'irreversible' and instead want to present the entire package as a 'bridge to membership', "the interlocutors of the publication point out.
In June, NATO defense ministers agreed that the organization would play a major role, together with the US-led Ramstein group, in determining what kind of military equipment Ukraine needs. NATO will now also coordinate the supply of weapons to Allied centers, as well as training Ukrainian soldiers outside the country. According to people, the allies are discussing whether to set up a special representative in Kiev to monitor these efforts.
Addition
The multi-year plan was proposed at the end of May and, according to the newspaper, should be presented to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at the NATO leaders ' summit in Washington in early July. Stoltenberg abandoned the original idea of giving the Allies 1 100 billion over five years and proposed an annual commitment of 40 billion euros in line with the average annual contributions since the Russian invasion in 2022.