Stoltenberg: support for Ukraine will be the most urgent task at the NATO Summit in Washington
Kyiv • UNN
The most urgent task at the upcoming NATO summit will be to provide substantial support to Ukraine, including security assistance, training, financial commitments, military aid, bilateral security agreements, and increased military interoperability, in order to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and bring it closer to NATO membership.
The most urgent task at the NATO summit in Washington next week will be to support Ukraine. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference on Friday, UNN reports.
Details
"NATO Heads of State and Government will meet in Washington next week at a crucial moment for our Alliance. (...) We will take decisive decisions. We will step up our long-term support for Ukraine; strengthen our collective defense; and deepen our global partnership," the NATO Secretary General said.
Our most urgent task at the summit will be to support Ukraine. (...) I expect that at the summit next week, the heads of state and government will agree on a substantial package for Ukraine
According to him, first, it is about NATO's security assistance and training for Ukraine. "NATO will coordinate and provide most of the international security assistance," he said.
"Under the command of a three-star general. And about 700 staff working at NATO headquarters in Germany and at logistics hubs in the eastern part of the Alliance. This will not make NATO a party to the conflict. But it will strengthen Ukraine's self-defense," Stoltenberg continued.
Second, he said, it is about financial commitments. "I expect the Allies to reaffirm their determination to support Ukraine in building a force capable of defeating Russian aggression today and deterring it in the future," the NATO Secretary General said.
"Since Russia's full-scale invasion, the allies have provided about 40 billion euros in military aid annually. Allies agree that this is a minimum baseline. And I expect that NATO countries at the summit will decide to maintain this level over the next year," Stoltenberg emphasized.
"I also expect NATO countries to agree to share this burden fairly, taking into account the size of their GDP. And to provide a stable level of funding for Ukraine's victory. We will review this level of support at our Summit in 2025. Not least to ensure that our support is in line with Ukraine's needs," he added.
Third, he said, it is about more urgent military support for Ukraine. "I expect the allies to provide additional air defense systems and ammunition. [As well as other capabilities," the Secretary General said.
"Fourth, more bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. [Many have already been signed. And I expect more before the summit," Stoltenberg said.
Fifth, he said, it is about enhanced military interoperability. "We will agree to cooperate more closely with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, in the new joint NATO-Ukraine analysis, training and exercise center in Poland," he said.
"We will also work together to develop Ukraine's defense industry. And deepen our cooperation in the field of innovation," the Secretary General added.
"All the work we are doing together is making Ukraine stronger, more interoperable and better prepared than ever to join our Alliance. [I discussed this with President Zelenskyy here at NATO just a few days ago. We agreed that all of these elements - NATO command; more funding; more military support; more security agreements; and more interoperability - constitute a bridge to NATO membership, and a very strong package for Ukraine at the Summit," Stoltenberg emphasized.
"This is how Ukraine is getting closer to NATO," the Secretary General said.
He also cited a new poll released by the Pew Research Center this week showing that about two-thirds of citizens have a positive view of NATO. "This is consistent with our own new poll of all 32 NATO countries," he said.
"And the overwhelming majority want their country to continue to support Ukraine," the NATO Secretary General said.
He also noted that "Iran and North Korea are fueling Russia's war with drones and missiles. China supports Russia's war economy and supplies microelectronics and other dual-use goods for Russia's war.