NATO considering strategy to offer Ukraine long-term military support

NATO is discussing a plan to give more steady military help to Ukraine in the next few years, as Russian troops with better weapons are gaining control in the war.

“We believe that Ukraine should receive more long-term help from NATO instead of relying on short-term, voluntary offers,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg before a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Brussels.

On Wednesday, Ukraine made the military conscription age lower from 27 to 25 to bring in more soldiers after being at war for over two years. A lack of soldiers and not enough ammunition has helped Russian troops take control.

“We do this because of what’s happening on the battlefield in Ukraine. ” “It’s important,” Stoltenberg told the reporters. “We can see that Russia is trying to win the war by being patient and waiting for us to give up. ”

The idea is for NATO to organize the work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which is a group of about 50 countries that have been meeting during the war to provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. This would be instead of the US European Command.

The general in the United States. Christopher Cavoli is the top military leader for NATO and the head of US European Command. This means that he is the person in charge and will not change. However, Stoltenberg said that there is a need for an official “institutional framework” as the war continues, and NATO can provide it.

NATO is not giving weapons to Ukraine directly, but they will send non-lethal aid like tools to remove explosives, fuel, and medical supplies. This shows a new level of NATO’s involvement in the war.

NATO wants to help Ukraine more, especially because Russia has a strong military, but its members are not willing to promise Ukraine membership in the organization for ultimate security. They also don’t want to get involved in a big war with a country like Russia, which has nuclear weapons.

The new plan is for NATO to work together to help Ukraine and figure out what they need, get promises of help, and have meetings to discuss how to support them. The plan should be approved by US President Joe Biden and other leaders in July.

The Financial Times newspaper said that the plan could cost up to $100 billion over several years, but Stoltenberg did not give any more information.

Western countries said they would help Ukraine, but they did not keep their promises. Europe promised to give 1 million rounds of ammunition, but they didn’t give enough. They also had a fight about money for Ukraine’s struggling economy, and now the help is still stopped in the US.

“It’s not safe to promise things we can’t do,” said Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib when asked how much her country might give to a $100 billion fund. She said we need to talk more about the plan.

Stoltenberg asked Congress to work together and pass a bill that gives $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine. He said that the delay is causing problems on the battlefield.

“He said this is why Ukrainians have to limit the number of artillery shells and are struggling to defend themselves against the powerful Russian military force. ” The Russian soldiers have more bullets and bigger guns than the other soldiers.