NATO braces itself for Trump's return
Before the NATO summit, plans are leaking out on how the alliance intends to shield itself from a possible Trump re-election. Weapons deliveries for Ukraine are set to no longer be coordinated by the US army, but by a new NATO headquarters in Wiesbaden instead. The Kiev office is also to receive reinforcements.
NATO is expanding its civilian presence in Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. A spokesperson confirmed that the 32 alliance members have decided to send a type of liaison officers to the capital Kiev. The senior official is to oversee the political and practical support of the alliance on site. The background is particularly that the NATO intends to give the green light for a new deployment at the upcoming summit in Washington for a new engagement for coordinating weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces. The headquarters for this is to be built in Wiesbaden, Germany.
It is still unclear who will get the new NATO position in Kiev. Further details will be communicated after the official selection, it was said. Initially, the plans were reported by the "Wall Street Journal".
NATO has had an official representation in Kiev for nearly a decade, which also manages a since the end of the 90s existing liaison office and an Information and Documentation Center. It deals with contacts with Ukrainian ministries and authorities and is to promote the political dialogue and practical cooperation between the NATO. Furthermore, it advises authorities on activities to support the NATO-Ukraine partnership and reforms in the security and defense sector. There is to be more personnel for this as well.
Doubts about Trump's Ukraine policy
The coordination of weapons deliveries and training activities that NATO intends to take over in the future has so far been led by the United States. They had set up a roughly 300-strong unit named Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) at the end of 2022 in the European headquarters of the US armed forces in the Hessian Wiesbaden.
The NATO project is also seen as a precaution for the possibility of a return of Donald Trump to the US presidency from January 2025. Statements by the Republican raised doubts in the past about whether the US would continue to support Ukraine in the defense war against Russia under his leadership as before. In the alliance, it is feared that a political course change in Washington could also affect the coordination of weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces.
- The concerns within NATO about a potential Trump re-election in the 2024 US presidential election stem from his past doubts about continuing US support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia.
- To mitigate these concerns, plans are underway for NATO to take over the coordination of weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces, currently handled by the US, at a new headquarters in Wiesbaden.
- The US presidential election 2024 and its potential impact on US policies towards Ukraine and NATO are influencing the strategic decisions being made by the alliance, as demonstrated by the establishment of the new NATO headquarters in Wiesbaden.
