At the NATO summit in Washington in July, a new system of financing military aid to Ukraine may be adopted, which will provide for the allocation of about 40 billion dollars a year.
This was stated by the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, after the meeting of the heads of foreign affairs of the member countries in Prague, reports on NATO website.
According to Stoltenberg, we are talking about new funds for future years, which should ensure predictability and long-term support for Ukraine.
“We already spend about 40 billion a year, but I ask the members of the Alliance to commit to the allocation of these funds for the following years. This is new money, because it is money that does not exist now,” the NATO Secretary General explained.
Stoltenberg emphasized that strict financial obligations for the future are needed not only so that Ukraine can plan the necessary assistance, but also for a signal to Moscow. He added that NATO needs to clearly show its readiness for a prolonged confrontation, because this will allow the war to end faster.
“The sooner President Putin realizes that he cannot win this war, the longer we will be there, as long as it takes,” he said.
According to the Secretary General, work on the details of such a financial mechanism is now starting. It should combine both the satisfaction of Ukraine’s urgent needs and the development of its future Armed Forces.
He expressed confidence that despite the resistance of some countries, such as Hungary, NATO will be able to agree on an effective system of coordination of aid to Ukraine.
“We will find ways to ensure that these solutions will work and will not be blocked,” Stoltenberg assured.
We will remind that Hungary remains the only EU and NATO country that consistently blocks the allocation of funds for the purchase of weapons for Ukraine and opposes the strengthening of sanctions against Russia. It seems that the Alliance is ready to find mechanisms to bypass the Hungarian veto and provide Ukraine with the necessary long-term support.
