NATO foreign ministers met on Wednesday to discuss a proposal for a €100 billion ($107 billion) five-year fund. This plan is to “Trump-proof” efforts to aid Ukraine with a supply of arms, ammunition, and equipment to Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion. Diplomats say that this move is mostly to guard against any cut in U.S. support if Donald Trump were to win the 2024 election.
“What is obvious is that we need new and more money for Ukraine. And we need it over many years. And the whole idea of now discussing a framework, commitments and an institutionalized framework for the support is to ensure more predictability and more confidence that the money will come every month, every year for the long haul,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The goal is to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he can never win the war.
Originally, NATO focused on non-lethal aid to send to Ukraine to prevent Russia from aggressing against Western nations, but they have decided that now is the time to change their approach. This is the third year of war in Ukraine.
In order to secure the fund, the decision requires full approval from all 32 members. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the proposal as “right and important,” saying that aid for Ukraine should be disbursed through “reliable, long-term structures.” However, not all nations are in full agreeance.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto “firmly stated Hungary will not back any @NATO proposals that might draw the alliance closer to war or shift it from a defensive to an offensive coalition,” government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“What we are discussing is not a NATO combat presence in Ukraine. We are discussing how we can coordinate and deliver support from outside Ukraine to Ukraine as NATO allies do,” Stoltenberg said, “And now when we initiate planning, I’m certain we can also address the concerns that Hungary has raised and find a way where we can have consensus.”
While NATO is more likely to offer aid to Ukraine as the war drags on, they do not wish to provoke Russia into escalating war with other countries. President Joe Biden is expected to support this deal in their next summit in Washington in July.
