NATO allies agreed on Wednesday to start planning for long-term military support for Ukraine, but NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's proposal to create a five-year, 100 billion euro fund has provoked mixed reactions, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
We need to change the dynamics of our support. We need to provide reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long term... fewer short-term offers and more multi-year commitments
The NATO Secretary General's proposal would also give the Alliance a more direct role in coordinating the supply of weapons, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
According to the diplomats, under these plans, NATO will take over some of the coordination functions of the US-led Ramstein group. According to the agency, this step is partly intended to protect against any reduction in American support if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Stoltenberg said he wants the decision to be made at the July summit of NATO leaders. NATO decisions require consensus among the organization's 32 members.
However, according to Reuters, the reaction of all alliance members to Stoltenberg's proposal indicates that the decision will require some work.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto "firmly stated that Hungary will not support any NATO proposals that could bring the Alliance closer to war or move it from a defensive to an offensive coalition," government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said.
Stoltenberg said that having a stronger NATO structure would not change the defensive nature of the Alliance, adding that he was confident that Hungary's concerns could be addressed in the coming weeks.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the devil is in the details. "We need to see how it will work for each country, in what percentage," he said.
"We need a legal framework, this proposal is certainly exciting and interesting, but even before promising Ukraine an exact figure, it is better to assess, study and understand how, when and what can be done, who should do what," emphasized Tayani.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock called the plan "right and important." Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Karinš also welcomed it, suggesting that contributions could be a percentage of each member's GDP.