NATO’s chief announced on Friday that defence ministers of NATO member countries have agreed on a plan to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg revealed that the plan outlines how NATO will lead these efforts, allowing alliance leaders to launch this initiative at the Washington Summit in July.
His comments came at the conclusion of the two-day NATO defence ministers meeting, the final ministerial session before the Washington summit next month.
Stoltenberg emphasized that NATO’s security assistance and training will enhance the support provided to Ukraine.
The initiative will involve a NATO command based at a US facility in Wiesbaden, along with logistical nodes in the eastern part of the Alliance under a 3-Star General reporting to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
This effort will engage nearly 700 personnel from NATO and partner countries across the alliance.
NATO will oversee the training of Ukrainian armed forces at facilities in allied countries, coordinate donations, manage equipment transfer and repair, and support the long-term development of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Stoltenberg stressed that these actions do not make NATO a party to the conflict but are intended to bolster Ukraine’s self-defence capabilities. He highlighted that NATO’s involvement ensures robust and coherent support, enhancing interoperability.
However, Stoltenberg noted that allies have not yet agreed on a long-term financial commitment. He called for more predictable, long-term pledges to provide better planning assumptions for Ukraine.
During the meeting, ministers also addressed Russia’s ongoing hostile actions against NATO members, agreeing on a set of response options, including increased intelligence exchange, enhanced protection of critical infrastructure, and further restrictions on Russian intelligence operatives.
Stoltenberg mentioned recent increases in sabotage, cyber-attacks, instrumentalized migration, and other hostile actions by Russia. He affirmed that these actions will not deter NATO from supporting Ukraine and protecting its territories.
Regarding air defence systems for Ukraine, Stoltenberg said NATO would work closely with allies to deliver more advanced systems.
In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for ending the war, Stoltenberg rejected the notion, stating it would allow Russia to occupy more Ukrainian land.
He clarified that Russia should withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territories, emphasizing that Putin’s proposal is not a peace offer but an attempt at further aggression and occupation.
Stoltenberg also highlighted the scale of forces offered to NATO’s command, noting that the alliance now has 500,000 troops at high readiness, significantly more than the goal set at the 2022 Madrid Summit.
He pointed out that the growing threats require increased capabilities in areas such as weapons, ammunition, air and missile defence, logistics, and long-range weapons.
Over the next five years, NATO allies in Europe and Canada plan to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems, 850 modern aircraft, primarily 5th generation F-35s, and numerous high-end capabilities.
Stoltenberg concluded by mentioning continued investments in innovation, including over $1 billion in the NATO Innovation Fund.
At the July summit, allies are expected to endorse a new Defence Industrial Pledge to signal sustainable demand to the industry.
