In an interview with Reuters yesterday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg complained that delays and failures in the delivery of arms to Ukraine have dented Kiev’s trust in NATO. “We need a more robust, institutionalized framework for our support to ensure predictability, to ensure more accountability and to ensure burden-sharing,” said Stoltenberg. What Stoltenberg is really talking about is a “Trump-proof,” supranational bureaucratic structure which will keep in place the permanent war against Russia, regardless of the outcome of the U.S. elections later this year.
To accomplish that aim, Stoltenberg has proposed giving NATO a greater coordinating role, and he drew up a multi-year plan that makes clear the contributions expected from each ally. He has put such a proposal to NATO’s 32 members and said it should be backed by a big financial commitment. Diplomats say €100 billion ($107 billion) over five years has been floated.
“That will make it easier to plan. It will make it clear what each and every ally is expected to deliver,” Stoltenberg said. “And NATO can then play a bigger role in ensuring allies actually deliver what they have announced.”
