NATO is considering setting up a $100 billion fund to supply Ukraine with weapons. The allies should contribute money to the fund in proportion to their size. The fund must have a term of five years.
It is a proposal from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and should be finalized during the meeting of NATO heads of government next summer in Washington, according to NATO circles. This Wednesday, the foreign ministers will discuss the plan for the first time. NATO sources warn that it is uncertain whether the proposal in this form will also reach the finish line.
In addition to the arms fund, NATO should also coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine. Now the deliveries are being coordinated by the United States in the ‘Ramstein’ talks, named after the US base in Germany where meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group are often held.
Finish line
Both proposals are far-reaching. NATO wants to support Ukraine, but not to provoke Moscow unnecessarily. It would be the first time that NATO has financed the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. The coordination of arms deliveries was deliberately kept outside NATO for the same reason.
With the proposals, Stoltenberg appears to be responding to two political risks. Ukraine would like to become a member of NATO, but the US and Germany, among others, are opposed to this. In any case, the fund and the arms coordination can help Ukraine. In NATO, the proposal is seen as a ‘bridge to membership’.
Perhaps more important is that NATO protects itself against what is referred to as ‘change in political winds’. By giving NATO a greater role in arms deliveries, Washington’s role becomes smaller and NATO protects itself against a possible victory of Donald Trump in the presidential elections.
Whether the proposals will reach the finish line is uncertain, because all 32 allies must agree to them. A country like Hungary, for example, sees no point in supporting Ukraine.
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