Seit dem Osterwochenende wurde die Absicht bekannt, vor allem durch Hintergrundbriefings für Journalisten in Brüssel, jetzt wird es langsam offiziell: Die NATO erwägt, die Verantwortung für die Unterstützung der Ukraine zu übernehmen, insbesondere was die militärischen Hilfslieferungen angeht. Die Pläne kündigte NATO-Generalsekretär Jens Stoltenberg vor einem Treffen der Außenminister der Allianz nun auch öffentlich an.
Hintergrund ist die offensichtliche Befürchtung, dass bei einem Wahlsieg des republikanischen Kandidaten Donald Trump bei der Präsidentschaftswahl in den USA die Hilfe des Landes für die Ukraine völlig versiegen könnte. Die Rede ist deshalb vor allem von einem Hilfsfonds in Höhe von 100 Milliarden US-Dollar, den dann insbesondere die europäischen Bündnismitglieder aufbringen müssten.
Damit würde die NATO von der bislang sorgfältig beachteten Linie abweichen, nicht als Allianz selbst an die Seite der Ukraine zu treten. Die Ukraine-Kontaktgruppe, das so genannte Ramstein-Format, besteht zwar überwiegend aus NATO-Mitgliedern. Formal ist es aber ein loser Zusammenschluss unter Führung der USA und eben kein gemeinsames Vorgehen des Bündnisses.
Die Summe und Details wollte Stoltenberg am (heutigen) Mittwoch öffentlich zwar nicht bestätigen; bei einem Pressegespräch vor dem Ministertreffen wurde er aber deutlich genug:
Europe now faces war on a scale we thought was resigned to history. In recent days, the Kremlin has launched new major attacks, striking Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. And Russia continues to press along the frontlines.
So we must stand firm in our support to Ukraine. And I welcome that Allies continue to make major deliveries of weapons, ammunition, and equipment. But Ukraine has urgent needs. 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 voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments. Less on short-term offers and more on multi-year pledges.
Therefore Ministers will discuss how NATO could assume more responsibility for coordinating military equipment and training for Ukraine anchoring this within a robust NATO framework. We will also discuss a multi-year financial commitment to sustain our support. This ministerial will set the stage for achieving consensus on these issues as we prepare for the Washington Summit.
NATO Allies provide 99 percent of all military support to Ukraine. So doing more under NATO would make our efforts more efficient, and more effective.
(…)
Frage: Secretary General, I understand you’ve been working on an idea of perhaps more predictable longer term support for Ukraine that might involve the transfer of the Ukrainian contact group to NATO control, perhaps also some finances. Could you tell us a bit more about it and why it’s important, please.
Stoltenberg: Well, I see that you have been briefed on the proposal, but I will not go into the details of the proposal. What I can say is that I welcome that Allies agree that we need to sustain our support to Ukraine, we need to make it more robust and therefore we are now discussing ways to institutionalize more of the support within a NATO framework to make it more predictable to make it more robust, because we strongly believe that support Ukraine should be less dependent on short term voluntary offers and more dependent on long term NATO commitments. By doing that, we will give Ukraine what they need. And that is long term, predictable, robust support. And that will also send a message to Moscow that they cannot wait those out. (…) We already have a lot of coordination, 99% of the support to Ukraine comes from NATO allies and of course, I welcome that capability coalition’s the Ramstein format, many other multinational and bilateral initiatives, but there is a need to give this a more robust and institutional framework to ensure predictability and commitment for long haul.
Frage: That number we were briefed on is 100 billion. Can you say anything about this number, and especially if you’re talking about fresh and new money or just adding up what has been promised already by member states of NATO? And the second question, are you planning to abolish the Ramstein format and really include it into NATO?
Stoltenberg: So first, what is obvious is that we need new and more money for Ukraine and we need it over many years. And the whole idea now discussing frameworks commitments and institutionalized framework for the support is to ensure more predictability and more confidence in that moment will come every month every year for the long haul. So again, I will not go into the details. I don’t, there will be no finalization at the meeting today and tomorrow, we will hopefully move forward towards consensus and then we will have an agreement in place by the summit. The reason why we do this is the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. It is serious. We see Russia is pushing and we see how they try to win this war but just waiting us out. And then for we need to answer by sending a clear message of practical support, financial support, and an institutional framework that ensures that we are there for the long haul to be able to end the war.
So I’m absolutely certain that I agree that we need more money, we need new money. We need it for many years. What we are now discussing is exactly the framework to establish that. Whatever we do, of course, will be closely coordinated with all the other initiatives that NATO allies are part of. NATO as part of their Ramstein group. NATO allies are part of their own subgroup. 99% of the NATO support provided to the Ramstein group is provided by NATO allies. We meet here at the NATO Headquarters we discussed this issue both at the Rammstein format and headquarters with the discussed about NATO, the ministerial meetings, it’s very much the same people are not actually the people responsible for delivering the support today, it’s actually many of them working for NATO allies, all of them are working for NATO allies. And the general responsible for the whole logistics, then the support that goes to Poland to the hub in Poland and all the work in this problem that underpins the work. That’s General Cavoli and General Cavoli is the US commander in Europe, but General Cavoli is also the NATO commander in Europe. And of course, I think that General Cavoli can coordinate with General Cavoli.
Zum Hintergrund berichtete unter anderem der ZDF-Kollege Florian Neuhann, der wie andere Brüsseler Kollegen in den Briefings war:
In den Reihen der Nato-Mitgliedstaaten kam der Vorschlag, so ist aus Kreisen der Allianz zu hören, unterschiedlich an. Vor allem Deutschland hatte sich zuletzt skeptisch gezeigt – aus Sorge, die Nato würde dadurch tiefer in diesen Krieg gezogen werden.
Insider sprachen aber von Bewegung auch bei der deutschen Position. Ein Vorteil der neuen Nato-Rolle könnte darin bestehen, dass die Unterstützung langfristig auf sichere Beine gestellt werden könnte – auch im Hinblick auf einen möglichen Wahlerfolg von Donald Trump in den USA.
(Foto: Stoltenberg beim Pressegespräch – Foto NATO)