NATO chief urges ‘reliable’ Ukraine support as 100-bn-euro fund floated

AFP | Beijing, China                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that alliance members must guarantee long-term weapon deliveries for Ukraine, as ministers discussed a proposal for a 100-billion-euro, fiveyear fund. “Ukraine has urgent needs,” Stoltenberg said as NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels.

“Any delay in providing support has consequences on the battlefield as we speak. So we need to shift the dynamics of our support.”

“We must ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long haul so that we rely less on the voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments, less on short-term offers and more on multi-year pledges.”

Diplomats and officials have said that Stoltenberg has proposed creating a 100-billion-euro ($108 billion) fund to help arm Ukraine in its fight with Russia.

“Moscow needs to understand that they cannot achieve their goals on the battlefield and they cannot wait us out,” Stoltenberg said, without giving details of his proposal.

Foreign ministers were to hold preliminary talks on the five-year plan during a two-day meeting as NATO pushes.