Stoltenberg offers Allies to set up a $100B fund for Ukraine - media

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is proposing that a $100 billion fund be created that would involve allied contributions over five years for Ukraine as part of a package to be signed by NATO leaders in July in Washington.

This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to informed sources, Ukrinform saw.

NATO members are still debating Stoltenberg's proposal and accounting facilities, including whether to include bilateral aid to Ukraine in the total, the sources said.

The proposal is likely to change before Allies reach an agreement, the agency's anonymous sources suggested.

As part of the package, NATO may also take over the operational responsibilities of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group ("Ramstein"), which coordinates the supply of weapons to Ukraine from approximately 50 countries, according to sources. Under the leadership of Supreme Allied Commander Europe Chris Cavoli, such a move could protect the Contact Group from any political changes that may arise after the U.S. presidential election in November, they added.

If the Allies support Stoltenberg's proposal, NATO's attempt to take on a more active role in providing assistance to Ukraine will mean a paradigm shift for the military alliance, which previously distanced itself from these efforts to avoid potential involvement in a full-scale war with Russia, to more actively assist Ukraine, the report said.

It should be recalled that the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador Julian Smith, said on Tuesday that the rapid approval of aid for Ukraine by Congress is of critical importance.