NATO Defence Ministers To Back Ukraine Training And Support Mission

2024-06-12 10:00:22

(MENAFN- IANS) Brussels, June 13 (IANS/DPA) NATO Defence Ministers are in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for two days of talks to agree on a training support mission for Ukraine as well as long-term financial commitments.

In a press conference ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged allies to "approve a plan for NATO to lead the coordination of security assistance and training to Ukraine".

The project is a major part of a defence package for Ukraine that the 32-member alliance wants to approve at a NATO leaders' summit in Washington in July.

The aim is to transfer responsibility for coordinating military aid for Ukraine from an informal, US-led structure called the Ukraine Defence Contact Group to the formal structures of NATO.

There are also talks ongoing between allies to seal a commitment to long-term financial support for Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said previously that €40 billion ($43 billion) is needed each year for Ukraine at a minimum.

Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Defence Minister, is taking part in the meeting with NATO Defence Ministers as part of a coordination body called the NATO-Ukraine Council.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is to chair a meeting of the US-led initiative on Thursday that has been the subject of intense discussion among allies ahead of the Defence Ministers' meeting.

MENAFN12062024000231011071ID1108326842

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.