Stoltenberg comments on the idea to transfer Ramstein to NATO control
Kyiv • UNN
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg discussed the need for more predictable and long-term support for Ukraine, possibly by incorporating the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group into NATO's institutional framework to ensure reliability and commitment.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he welcomed the Ramstein coalition to support Ukraine, as do many others, but there is a need to give it more power and an institutional framework to ensure predictability and commitment for the long term. He said this in response to a question about a report on the possible transfer of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense (Ramstein format) to NATO control before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, UNN reports.
"I see that you are aware of the proposal, but I will not go into the details of the proposal. What I can say is that I welcome the fact that the Allies agree that we need to sustain our support to Ukraine, we need to make it more credible, and so we are now discussing ways to institutionalize more support within NATO to make it more predictable, to make it more reliable, because we strongly believe that support for Ukraine should be less dependent on short-term voluntary offers and more dependent on long-term commitments by NATO," Stoltenberg said when asked about the transfer of Ramstein to NATO control, and possibly some financial resources.
In his words, "by doing so, we will give Ukraine what it needs.
"And this is long-term, predictable, reliable support. And it will also send a message to Moscow that they cannot expect this to go away. And the reality is that if you want this war to end, the sooner we can convince Moscow that they will not win on the battlefield. They cannot wait us out, the sooner we can reach a peace agreement where Russia realizes that they cannot win the war and they have to sit down and negotiate an agreement where Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent state," he said.
So, strengthening NATO's role in coordination and support is a way to end this war in a way that Ukraine provides. We already have a lot of coordination, 99% of the support for Ukraine comes from NATO allies, and of course I welcome this Ramstein coalition, many other multinational and bilateral initiatives, but there is a need to give this more power and an institutional framework to ensure predictability and commitment for the long term
Politico: US considers bringing Ramstein format under NATO controlApr 2 2024, 11:26 PM • 31576 views
When asked whether and how the Contact Group on Ukraine will be integrated into NATO, and whether this means that NATO is concerned about the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency in the United States, the NATO Secretary General said: "First of all, again, NATO is part of the Contact Group. The Contact Group has done an extremely important job, which has played a key role in providing support, and NATO Allies have provided an unprecedented level of military support to Ukraine, not least organized by the UDCG, the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group, the Ramstein format and, as I said, we have been able to coordinate with existing structures because the same people are in charge, General Cavoli is the US commander here, but also the NATO commander, so of course it will be coordinated.
When asked about Trump, Stoltenberg said that "the reason we discussed this is that we see the situation on the battlefield. We see how demanding and difficult the situation in Ukraine is. So we welcome everything that NATO allies have done. At the same time, we see that more needs to be done; it is not enough.
"Ukrainians need more support, but they also need more predictable and long-term support. So, it's possible to plan an organization and launch an offensive, but then you need long-term planning, you need to know what you're going to have, what type of equipment, what type of support, and what type of maintenance. And that requires a stronger institutional framework to provide more reliable and predictable support to Ukraine. That is why we are discussing this," he added.
According to the NATO Secretary General, "this reflects the seriousness on the battlefield.
"Then I would like to say that, of course, we all think it's important, or I believe it's important, that allies make decisions quickly. And that includes, of course, the United States, because the United States is not the only supporter of Ukraine. In fact, the European allies and Canada provide about 50% of military support to Ukraine. So it's really a joint effort between the United States, European allies and Canada. But, of course, the United States is the biggest ally and provides the biggest military support," Stoltenberg said.
And, according to him, "the fact that there was no agreement in the US Congress on additional or continued support has consequences." "This is one of the reasons why the Ukrainians have to ration the number of artillery shells, why it is difficult for them to resist Russian forces, which have superior military strength..." - he noted.
"And the answer to this question is to make decisions later, not least in the US Congress. Any delay has real consequences on the battlefield. I met with senators, members of the House of Representatives, and they all assured me that the overwhelming majority in the US Congress is in favor. So, now the challenge is to turn that majority into a vote on the decision. And I hope that will happen as soon as possible. (...) So, I expect the U.S. to take action now because it is in the security interest of the United States to ensure that President Putin does not win in Ukraine, not least because it also encourages other authoritarian leaders, including Beijing, to use military force and violate international law," Stoltenberg said.
When asked to clarify the report on the proposed 5-year, 100 billion euros military assistance package for Ukraine, the NATO Secretary General said: "So, first of all, obviously, we need new and big money for Ukraine, and we've needed it for many years. And the whole idea of discussing now the framework of commitments and the institutional framework of support is to provide more predictability and more certainty that this moment will come every month every year in the long term.
"There will be no final decision at today's and tomorrow's meeting, we hope that we will move forward to a consensus and then we will have an agreement by the summit. The reason we are doing this is the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. It is serious. We see Russia putting pressure, and we see them trying to win this war, but just by waiting us out. And then we need to respond by sending a clear signal of practical support, financial support, and an institutional structure that ensures that we are prepared for the long haul to be able to end the war," he said.
