NATO countries cautious about 100 billion Euro plan to finance Ukraine

NATO allies are demanding that the head of the alliance provide more clarity on NATO's proposal to pledge 100 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, Politico reported on May 26.

According to Politico, the proposal is part of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's plan to ensure financial support for Kiev in case Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November. This proposal is still a big question for members of the transatlantic military alliance.

Behind the scenes, even some of Ukraine’s closest Eastern European allies have grown more cautious about the plan in recent weeks, wondering where and how such a huge sum of money will come from, just weeks before leaders meet at a NATO summit in Washington in July.

“The plan is a little confusing,” one Eastern European official told Politico, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. They added that countries would expect Stoltenberg to provide more clarity at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers scheduled for May 30-31 in Prague, Czech Republic.

It remains to be seen whether NATO's leading European members Germany and France will back the plan.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Kiev, April 29, 2024. Photo: Saltwire

French President Emmanuel Macron wants to maintain defence spending within the EU rather than within NATO, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is unwilling to spend more than the country's Zeitenwende (turning point of the era) pledge, which stemmed from a speech he made after Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.

Another official, also from a country friendly to Ukraine, told Politico that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the final €100 billion figure was revised, but predicted allies would need to find ways to show concrete support for Kiev.

Two other officials familiar with the discussions confirmed that negotiations are ongoing, particularly regarding the amount of money and how it will be allocated.

A fifth official cautioned that while the foreign ministers and Mr Stoltenberg would consider the issue in detail at the Prague meeting, no formal decisions would be made due to the “informal” nature of the meeting.

NATO chief fears funding for Ukraine could dry up without binding commitments. The initial plan from the NATO Secretary General's Office was for NATO allies to commit €100 billion over five years, demonstrating to the US that Europe is doing its part to support Kiev .

Minh Duc (According to Politico EU)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/cac-nuoc-nato-de-dat-voi-ke-hoach-100-ty-euro-tai-tro-cho-ukraine-a665490.html