Kyiv will receive long-term military and financial aid from NATO in its war with Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg assured on Thursday, June 6. On top of that, Stoltenberg is calling for at least €40 billion a year from the West for as long as the war lasts.
NATO’s leader said this aid would be made concrete at the NATO summit in July, but would not include sending allied troops to Ukraine, reports EFE.
“At the NATO summit and in the preparatory discussions for it, we will discuss how to ensure that we support Ukraine for as long as necessary,” Stoltenberg said during his first visit to Finland after the country became a NATO member.
He also pledged that the allies would try to agree on a long-term financial commitment at the NATO summit in Washington in July that would guarantee Ukraine the predictability and accountability it needs from its allies in this conflict.
Stoltenberg estimated last week that the military aid provided to Ukraine by NATO states must reach at least €40 billion a year for as long as it is needed in the war with Russia; he also called on the allies to “share the burden fairly” for financing this aid.
However, the NATO chief also said in his statement on Thursday that the Alliance has no plans to send troops to Ukraine, insisting that NATO’s priority is to establish a solid and institutionalized framework for military and financial support to Kyiv for as long as necessary.
In this regard, Stoltenberg again criticized the delays in the delivery of promised arms and ammunition to Ukraine, as well as their insufficiency.
“In recent months, we have seen some gaps and delays in the delivery of military aid to Ukraine. We must ensure that this does not happen again. And that is why we are now working to establish a NATO mission for Ukraine,” the NATO secretary general added.
