Before the summit in Washington - NATO fails to reach agreement on multi-year aid for Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg failed in his attempt to secure multi-year commitments from Alliance members for military aid to Ukraine. The 32 Allies could only agree during negotiations preceding the upcoming week-long summit in Washington to provide support in the amount of at least 40 billion Euros within the next year. It was decided that the discussion on how to ensure fair burden sharing would be continued at the 2025 summit, which will be hosted by the Netherlands.
It remains unclear how a fair burden sharing can be ensured. No concrete agreement could be reached in the negotiations regarding how much each country would contribute towards the minimum 40 billion Euros, according to information from the German Press Agency. The NATO states have only vaguely committed to trying to contribute an amount that roughly corresponds to their share of the economic power of all NATO states.
The new Ukraine pledge for a period of twelve months will be made public during the upcoming meeting of heads of state and government. It is the result of months of negotiations and was adopted in writing by the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday.
Multi-year pledge was the goal
NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg recently urged the Allies to make a multi-year financing pledge for military aid to Ukraine worth at least 40 billion Euros per year. He made this call during a meeting with the foreign ministers of the 32 NATO states in Prague at the end of May. The 40 billion Euro figure would roughly correspond to the previous annual support provided by the Allies since the beginning of the Russian invasion, he argued.
Regarding how a fair burden sharing could be ensured, Stoltenberg previously suggested calculating each country's contribution based on their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, this proposal was met with resistance from countries that have so far only contributed a relatively small share of their economic power towards military aid for Ukraine, such as France, Spain, and Italy.
For countries like Germany or the Baltic states, this proposal would not have been an issue, as they have recently had a relatively high share of military aid from NATO states in relation to their GDP. For instance, more than seven billion Euros were planned for Germany in the current year.
Regular reports on the efforts of the Allies are now expected to put pressure on countries with relatively small military aid contributions. According to the plans, these reports will be prepared twice a year.
Countries that did not want to make a multi-year pledge reportedly included the US, according to sources from the Alliance. The Ukraine support is currently also a topic in the US presidential election campaign between incumbent President Joe Biden and challenger and former President Donald Trump. Trump recently claimed that he could stop the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.
Plan for coordination and special envoys in place.
Something simpler than the discussions about money have run before the summit regarding the preparations for a package with practical support for the Russian-attacked Ukraine. It is almost certain that NATO will launch a new deployment at the summit to coordinate weapon deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian forces. The headquarters for this will be built in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Additionally, according to a spokesperson, it was decided to send a high-ranking official as a sort of special envoy to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. This official will steer political and practical support for the alliance on site.
NATO has had an official representation in Kiev for nearly a decade, which also manages a connection office and an information and documentation center that has existed since the end of the 90s. It deals with contacts with Ukrainian ministries and authorities and aims to promote the political dialogue and practical cooperation between NATO.
Project for the Scenario Trump
The NATO project for coordinating weapon deliveries and training activities is also seen as a precaution for the possibility of a return of Trump to the US Presidency in January 2025. Statements by the Republican raised doubts in the past about whether the US would continue to support Ukraine militarily under his leadership as before in the conflict against Russia. The alliance fears that a political course change in Washington could also affect the previously US-led coordination of weapon deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian forces.
- Despite the efforts of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the Alliance members could only agree to provide at least 40 billion Euros in military aid to Ukraine for the next year, falling short of his goal of a multi-year commitment.
- In negotiations preceding the upcoming week-long summit in Washington, the Czech Republic and other NATO states expressed their support for Ukraine, aligning with the position of the USA.
- The Czech Republic, alongside other NATO nations, is among those that have yet to commit to a specific amount for their contribution towards the minimum 40 billion Euros in aid.
- During negotiations, Stoltenberg advocated for a fair burden sharing based on each country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a proposal met with resistance from countries like France, Spain, and Italy.
- Jens Stoltenberg's idea of calculating contributions based on GDP faced opposition from nations that have provided less military aid to Ukraine relative to their GDP, such as France, Spain, and Italy.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose actions have led to the ongoing conflict, continues to be a concern for NATO and its members, especially in the context of the pledged military aid to Ukraine.
- In the negotiations, Germany emerged as a significant contributor to miliatry aid, with over seven billion Euros planned for the current year, a point of contention for countries like France, Spain, and Italy.
- The topic of Ukraine's military aid has become a prominent issue in the US presidential election campaign, with incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump presenting contrasting stances on the matter.
