NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has faced challenges in convincing member states to commit to a multi-year financial support package for Ukraine, according to information obtained by the German Press Agency (DPA) on Wednesday.
Ahead of the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington, allies have pledged to support Ukraine with €40 billion ($43 billion) for the coming year.
However, there has been no agreement on how to share the financial burden among member states.
Some NATO members vaguely indicated that the GDP of each country’s economy should play a role in determining the level of support for Ukraine.
In a June meeting with NATO defense ministers, Stoltenberg urged allies to agree on a plan to maintain the current level of support for Ukraine over the long term, which he estimated at €40 billion annually.
The burden would be distributed based on the GDP of the member states, with the United States contributing 50% of the total.
As the summit approaches, it remains to be seen how NATO will address these financial commitments and ensure sustained support for Ukraine amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
The US is set to announce a new $2.3 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted.
During a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart at the Pentagon, Austin expressed support for Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, over two years into the ongoing conflict with Russia.
As the NATO summit approaches next week in Washington, Austin revealed that steps would be taken to pave the way for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Ukrainian officials have been urging their allies to provide more air defense systems to counter repeated Russian missile and drone attacks.
The upcoming aid package will include anti-tank weapons and air defense interceptors, accelerating the procurement of NASAMS and Patriot missiles.
