NATO proposes $100Bln Ukraine aid fund; plan awaits member states
3 Min Read
As the 2024 Presidential elections in the US is nearing, concerns have been mounting among allies.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presents the 2023 NATO annual report during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, March 14, 2024 (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources close to the matter, that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has proposed establishing a $100 billion Ukraine aid fund with contributions from the allies over the next five years.
However, the plan still requires approval from the 32 member states. If endorsed, the fund would signal NATO's inclination towards involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, a step it has previously avoided to prevent escalation into a war with Russia, the report says.
The report added that allies are discussing various accounting modalities, including whether bilateral contributions to Ukraine will be factored in.
The plan is due to be presented for signing at the NATO summit in Washington in July. Stoltenberg will also suggest that the alliance assume the operational responsibilities of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group from the US.
This proposal aims to ensure ongoing coordination of arms deliveries to Kiev, particularly in the event of a victory by NATO-skeptic Donald Trump in the US presidential race in November.
A recent report by the Financial Times revealed that the US's share under the so-called Mission for Ukraine plan would be significantly less than the bilateral assistance package that remains blocked in Congress.
Read more: German, EU support for Ukraine driven by strategic interests: Habeck
As the 2024 Presidential elections in the US is nearing, concerns have been mounting among allies.
On March 11, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Donald Trump vowed not to provide financial assistance to Ukraine if elected this fall.
"If the Americans do not give weapons and money, and the Europeans follow them, then the war will end. If the Americans do not give money, then the Europeans are not able to finance this war themselves, and then it will end," Orban told the Hungarian broadcaster M1.
"Trump is not president now, but his party interferes when the Democrats want to send money to the war. Trump said that if he returns, he will not do this, [he will] not [allocate] a penny. And then this war will end," he added.
On March 19, Malcom Kyeyune from UnHerd said that the Pentagon's recent announcement of planning an additional $300 million to Ukraine did not come from "change under a Pentagon sofa cushion" but rather from the collapse of the US military.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reported that the funding would be possible due to “unanticipated cost savings," but UnHerd believes it is essential to examine factual information regarding US aid to Ukraine.
Read more: Congress 'looting from its army' to support Ukraine: UnHerd
