Conflict in Ukraine - Germany to host new NATO headquarters.
A NATO operation to oversee arms shipments and military training for the Ukrainians will be based in Germany, as per reports from alliance insiders. Wiesbaden has been selected as the site where US troops in Europe have previously handled coordination duties. The initiative will be spearheaded by a Three-Star General reporting directly to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Yesterday, the North Atlantic Council gave the green light to the operation's operational plan in a non-binding vote. The move was endorsed by defense ministers today.
In the past, the US had spearheaded support operations. They assembled a 300-person unit known as the Security Assistance Group–Ukraine (SAG-U) at the US European Command headquarters in Wiesbaden, Hesse in late 2022.
The new NATO project is viewed as a precautionary measure against the potential return of former US president Donald Trump to office in January 2025. Previous Republican statements have cast doubt on the likelihood of continued US support for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia under a Trump administration.
Hungary will not participate in the NATO project. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's administration worries that NATO could be drawn into a head-on confrontation with Russia because of the initiative.
Efforts to persuade Hungary not to obstruct consensus for the project have been made by assuring that the country would not have to contribute financially or with personnel.
The ongoing project is currently referred to as "NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine" (NSATU) within NATO. Previously, most NATO members favored the name "NATO Mission Ukraine," but Germany argued that it could be misconstrued by Russia as NATO deploying soldiers in Ukraine. They feared that the name might be used by Russia for anti-NATO propaganda.
Preparations can now commence for the project following the clearance of its operational plan. In an ideal scenario, it would commence in July, when the Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the leaders of the other NATO nations gather in Washington for a meeting.
Additionally, the German government contends that the current name, NSATU, would not be misconstrued as NATO soldiers being sent to Ukraine, as in the previous name suggestion.
