Ministers of foreign affairs of NATO countries reacted ambiguously to the plan of the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg to create a contribution fund for Ukraine worth $100 billion over five years.
This is reported by Politico.
Stoltenbergʼs idea is for NATO to take over some of the coordination work from a special US-led coalition known as the Ramstein Group, which coordinates arms shipments to Ukraine from some 50 countries. The move is aimed in part at protecting against any reduction in US support should Donald Trump return to the White House.
Under the leadership of NATO Commander-in-Chief General Chris Cavoli, such a move could protect the Contact Group from any political changes that may arise after the US presidential election.
However, as Politico writes, this proposal caused a mixed reaction among NATO ministers.
"We support the efforts of the NATO Secretary General on Ukraine in the Alliance," said Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
One of the NATO representatives said that Turkey also supports this idea. And the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Berbock said that it is necessary to create "reliable, long-term structures" to help Ukraine.
But there are those who have doubts about this plan. Some ministers rolled their eyes after hearing the sum of $100 billion and wondered where it came from, a diplomat told the publication on condition of anonymity.
"It is dangerous to make promises that we cannot fulfill," warned Belgian Foreign Minister Aja Lyabib.
Some Western European countries worry that giving NATO so much money and power will undermine the European Unionʼs efforts to play a bigger defense role.
The proposal of the Secretary General also caused many clarifications regarding the details. A key issue was the accounting mechanism, in particular, whether the plan would include existing allied aid programs for Ukraine or be funded separately.
"We welcome this initiative and we need to see the practical aspects and details," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.
And the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain Jose Manuel Alvarez said that the members of the Alliance "need to calculate how much Ukraine needs to preserve its democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"And when we have that amount, we will decide how we can get it," he added.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó insisted that NATO is only a defensive alliance and "Hungary will reject any proposal that turns NATO into an offensive alliance, as this would lead to a serious risk of escalation," he said before the meeting, adding that the war in Ukraine — "not Hungaryʼs war and not NATOʼs war."