NATO Debates Ukraine Aid

NATO foreign ministers debated the creation of a 100-billion-euro, five-year fund for Ukraine, as the alliance's chief urged them to guarantee long-term arms supplies for Kyiv's outgunned forces.

Officials said NATO's secretary general has proposed creating a $108 billion fund to help arm Ukraine in its fight with Russia over five years.

"Ukraine has urgent needs," Jens Stoltenberg said as the ministers met in Brussels. "Any delay in providing support has consequences on the battlefield as we speak.

So we need to shift the dynamics of our support."

"We must ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long haul so that we rely less on the voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments, less on short-term offers and more on multi-year pledges," he said.

That could help insulate the flow of weapons to Ukraine following a potential return of Donald Trump to the White House after US elections in November.

"Moscow needs to understand that they cannot achieve their goals on the battlefield and they cannot wait for us out," Stoltenberg said, without giving details of his proposal.

The plan has support from Ukraine's staunchest supporters such as Poland and the Baltic states.

But others caution there are many questions on where financing would come from and the plan could change dramatically by the time NATO holds its next summit in Washington in July.

The plan from Stoltenberg would also see a NATO mission take more control of coordinating arms supplies to Kyiv from a US-led grouping that currently helps oversee support.

The move would mark a major shift for the Western military alliance, which has so far refused as an organization to send weapons to Ukraine for fear it would drag NATO closer to a conflict with Russia.

Stoltenberg's pitch comes as Ukraine's forces are struggling to hold back Russia in the face of dwindling supplies from Kyiv's Western backers.