NATO Ramps Up Support For Ukraine

17th June 2023

NATO Secretary General: we must ensure Ukraine can defend itself now and in the future.

Opening a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission on Thursday (15 June 2023), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Allies must continue to increase the delivery of military equipment to Ukraine as it fights to regain territory from Russian occupying forces. NATO Defence Ministers were joined by their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov, as well as Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson and EU High Representative Josep Borrell.

The Commission addressed further steps to be taken at the Vilnius Summit to support Ukraine, "including a multi-year package of support with substantial funding" to ensure that "Ukraine can defend itself now and in the future," said Mr Stoltenberg. On Ukraine's membership aspirations, the Secretary General reaffirmed that "Ukraine's future lies within the Euro-Atlantic family," and that "all Allies agree that it will become a member of the Alliance".

Meeting the press earlier on Thursday, Mr Stoltenberg praised the "the courage, the bravery, the skills of the Ukrainian soldiers" as they pursue their counteroffensive, adding that their gains demonstrate that Allies' support "actually makes a difference on the battlefield as we speak."

NATO Defence Ministers conclude two days of meetings, pledging increased support for Ukraine
NATO Defence Ministers concluded two days of meetings in Brussels on Friday (16 June 2023), in order to prepare for the Vilnius Summit in July.

Mr Stoltenberg said that "Ukrainian forces have stepped up operations along the front line, and are making progress - but they face tough terrain, dug-in Russian troops, and fierce fighting". In this context, he underlined that increasing support for Ukraine remains crucial. He welcomed new announcements from Allies, including the initiative led by the Netherlands and Denmark to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets and, together with the United Kingdom and the United States, to deliver short and medium-range air defence missiles. He also welcomed that Allies have so far made contributions and commitments amounting to 500 million euros to NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package, adding that NATO is working on a multi-year package with substantial funding for the Summit, and is also working to establish a new NATO-Ukraine Council, where Ukraine and Allies will consult and decide on security issues on an equal basis. "Our ambition is to have the first meeting of the new Council in Vilnius, with President Zelenskyy," he said.

At the Vilnius Summit, Allies will also take steps to further strengthen deterrence and defence, including with new regional plans. Mr Stoltenberg highlighted that for the first time since the Cold War, Allies are "fully connecting the planning for our collective defence with the planning for our forces, capabilities, and command and control" and that NATO will have over 300,000 troops on high readiness, backed by substantial air and maritime capabilities "to defend every inch of Allied territory against any threat".

Ministers also agreed a new rotational model for air and missile defence; agreed substantially increase capability targets for battle-decisive ammunition; and reviewed the NATO Defence Production Action Plan, with measures to aggregate demand, boost capacity, and increase interoperability and interchangeability. Mr Stoltenberg said that he expects NATO Allies to make a more ambitious commitment to defence investment in Vilnius, with 2% of GDP for defence spending as a floor, not a ceiling.

NATO's Nuclear Planning Group also met to discuss the nuclear aspects of the current security environment and the ongoing adaptation of NATO's nuclear deterrence.

Four more Allies join NATO's Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative
Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg joined NATO's Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative (MAWI) on Thursday (15 June 2023). MAWI plays a key role for enabling the pre-positioning of adequate munition stockpiles in support of NATO's multinational battlegroups on the Alliance's eastern flank.

In response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Allies decided to reinforce the four existing multinational battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance, and add four more. Allies are also working to preposition more arms and equipment, to remain prepared for any potential threat.

"Enhancing NATO's deterrence and defence posture will only be possible if our troops are adequately supported and supplied. We have all been brutally reminded in the past year of the importance of ammunition supplies for our armed forces. The Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative - or MAWI for short - is precisely designed to ensure that our soldiers have access to the right quantities of munitions in the right locations," said Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, as he welcomed the four new participants to the initiative.

This brings the list of MAWI participants to 23 Allies, together with invitee Sweden, as well as the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.

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