Ukraine's defense minister, NATO allies to discuss multi-year aid package - Stoltenberg

The meeting of NATO ministers of defense on June 15 will start with a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, during which Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and NATO allies will address developments on the ground and discuss a multi-year package of support for Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday ahead of the meeting of NATO defense ministers, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We will start our ministerial with a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which will be preceded by the Ukraine Defense Contact Group led by the United States. Together with Defense Minister Reznikov, we will address developments on the ground and how to sustain our support. We will discuss a multi-year package of support with substantial funding to ensure Ukraine can defend itself for the longer term," he said.

He noted that this package would help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era to NATO standards, achieve full interoperability with NATO, and reform and rebuild its security and defense sector.

"We must ensure that when this war ends, there are credible arrangements in place for Ukraine's security so that history does not repeat itself and so that Russia cannot rest, rearm and relaunch a fresh attack," Stoltenberg said.

"At the Vilnius summit, we will send a strong message of support and solidarity with Ukraine and make clear that Ukraine's future is in NATO," he added.