Stoltenberg: Ukraine's trust in NATO allies "shaken" by delays in arms deliveries
Kyiv • UNN
NATO chief Stoltenberg said that Ukraine's confidence in its allies has been "shaken" by delays in arms deliveries and called for a multi-year plan that would clearly define the contributions to Ukraine expected from each ally.
Ukraine's trust in its NATO allies has been "shaken" by delays and failures in the supply of weapons to fight Russian invasion, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said. He said this in an interview with Reuters on Monday evening, April 30, as he was leaving Ukraine after a one-day visit, UNN reports.
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Stoltenberg said that such failures to support Ukraine indicate that it is time to reconsider the coordination of international military assistance to Kyiv.
We need a more robust, institutionalized framework for our support to ensure predictability, accountability and cost sharing
As an example of NATO allies failing to fulfill their responsibilities, Stoltenberg cited the US Congress, which took six months to pass a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine. He also criticized European countries, which delivered much less artillery ammunition than promised.
According to Reuters, this seriously affected the course of the fighting: Russia gained the initiative, and Ukrainian troops, who lacked ammunition, were forced to go on the defensive.
Of course, the fact that we did not fulfill our promises struck a blow... to trust
But after a day of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior officials, he said that Kyiv still believes in its allies, and it is now up to them to do what they can.
Stoltenberg also pointed out that one way to prevent future shortages of military assistance to Ukraine is to increase NATO's coordinating role and develop a multi-year plan that clearly defines the contributions expected from each ally.
He addressed such a proposal to the 32 NATO members and said that it should be backed by large financial commitments. According to diplomats, it is about 100 billion euros.
"This will make planning easier. It will be clear what is expected of each ally. And then NATO will be able to play a more significant role in ensuring that allies actually do what they say they will do," Stoltenberg said.
He noted that this money would be "tiny pieces or fractions" of what the United States and its allies have spent in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"There we are talking about trillions, and... in Ukraine we are talking about billions," he said. He also added: "But in fact, we are solving a real problem for our security - a more aggressive Russia.
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