NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that the alliance is expected to agree to a five-point plan to support Ukraine in the war against Russia, including shifting international support to a unified command and establishing commitments from nations to maintain military support for Kiev for at least another year.
Stoltenberg told reporters during a roundtable in Washington, DC, ahead of a major annual NATO summit in the US capital this week, that the alliance will create a command post in Germany staffed by 700 people and headed by a three-star NATO general. BORN.
The command will take over the bulk of international support for Ukraine, which is currently managed by an alliance of about 50 members, the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group. The base will also oversee training and logistics in support of Ukraine.
NATO will also establish commitments among the 32-member alliance to maintain the current level of support for Ukraine among allies for at least another year. Stoltenberg said the allies will eventually establish a minimum baseline for future financial support.
Although the agreements do not include Ukraine in the alliance, as Kiev has long called for, Stoltenberg said both plans will bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership.
“These are complete actions that really move [Ukraine] closer to NATO, prepares Ukraine for NATO,” he said. “I firmly believe that, of course, language is important, but just as important, perhaps even more important, is what we do.”
The other parts of the deal that NATO members are expected to agree on at the summit include announcements by allies of more weapons, including advanced systems, and deepening interoperability of the Ukrainian military with NATO forces.
By the start of the summit, around 20 allies will have also signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. President Biden signed an agreement last month with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, committing to support Kiev and its defenses for the next 10 years.
The NATO summit that begins Tuesday comes as Russian forces exert pressure along the 600-mile front in Ukraine, which is fighting fiercely to defend itself against advances.
The US and NATO have argued that Ukraine will one day become a member of the alliance, but have stopped short of establishing a concrete timetable for inclusion. Ratifying Ukraine’s membership of the alliance now during a major war would technically trigger Article 5, which stipulates that countries must defend allies who are attacked.
Stoltenberg argued that the allies agreed on an “ambitious” move to support Ukraine that will soften the alliance’s support.
“These are agreed commitments from NATO to deliver something that is more responsible and more capable,” he said.
Stoltenberg also said the summit will address issues related to defense spending across the alliance, a thorny point as some nations have struggled to meet the target of 2 percent of economic output.
The NATO chief said he hopes there will be a message from the summit to do more on defense spending than the 2 percent target.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
