NATO chief in favor of long-term military aid for Kiev – Night at a glance
Published: Wednesday, Jun 12th 2024, 06:00
Retour au fil d'actualité
Ahead of a meeting of the defense ministers of the alliance states, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has made an urgent appeal to Ukraine to make long-term commitments for military aid. "We should provide 40 billion in fresh money every year," the Norwegian told the German Press Agency. That was a lot of money, but easier to manage with a shared burden in the NATO alliance. He also welcomed the German government's decision to allow Ukraine to use weapons from Germany against military targets in Russia. Meanwhile, the international reconstruction conference for Ukraine continues in Berlin on Wednesday - with a focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and expanding municipal partnerships.
"A long-term financial commitment to Ukraine will ensure predictability, accountability and burden-sharing," Stoltenberg told dpa. "The stronger our long-term commitment, the sooner this war can end." According to the NATO chief, the contribution of the individual member states could be calculated on the basis of gross domestic product, for example. According to this, the USA would have to contribute around 50 percent of the 40 billion euros per year, with the remainder being divided between the European allies and Canada. The proposal will be discussed further at the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. It is unclear whether the 32 NATO states will be able to agree on a common position before the alliance summit in Washington in July.
Stoltenberg made his comments on the sidelines of a meeting of eastern NATO states in Riga, Latvia - and also found words of praise for the German government's latest position. Ukraine has the right to self-defense and, with the help of the expanded deployment options for weapons from Germany and other NATO states, also has more opportunities to defend itself against the attackers. This includes the right to attack legitimate military targets within Russia.
Several countries - including Germany and the USA - had recently given Ukraine permission to use weapons supplied by them against targets on Russian territory in order to prevent attacks on Ukraine from there. When asked whether Ukraine had already used Western weapons for this purpose, Stoltenberg said that he could not go into operational details. In any case, it was now easier for Ukraine to protect its right to self-defense. "This is a war of aggression, they are defending themselves. Defending themselves is not escalation."
Report: USA to deliver further Patriot air defense system
According to a media report, the US government also wants to provide Ukraine with another Patriot air defense system to strengthen its defenses against Russia's attacks from the air. President Joe Biden made the decision last week after a series of meetings with senior officials, wrote the New York Times on Tuesday (local time), citing unnamed sources in the US government. The White House communications director, John Kirby, did not confirm the report on Tuesday when asked. The new US Patriot system is currently in Poland and could be deployed on the Ukrainian front in the coming days, the "New York Times" continued. It would be the second Patriot air defense system that the USA has made available to Ukraine.
Around two dozen explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Wednesday morning, presumably from anti-aircraft fire. According to media reports, several Russian combat drones, cruise missiles and at least one Kinschal (Dagger) hypersonic missile were fired at targets in the metropolis with a population of three million. The Kiev military administration initially only confirmed the use of air defense. There was no information on possible damage or casualties.
Ukraine reconstruction conference in Berlin continues
Kiev's mayor Vitali Klitschko is also taking part in the international reconstruction conference for Ukraine. He is taking part in a discussion with other mayors in Berlin with Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD). According to the Development Ministry, there are already more than 200 partnerships between German and Ukrainian municipalities. Schulze wants to call for other municipalities to also become partners by the next reconstruction conference in a year's time and launch a platform for this purpose.
On the second and final day of the conference, Germany, Ukraine, twelve other countries and 17 development organizations also want to launch an alliance to strengthen Ukraine's resilience. Small and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of the Ukrainian economy, are to be given a helping hand in times of war to make them fit for reconstruction.
Selenskyj in the Bundestag: Putin must lose the war
In a speech in the Bundestag on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Germany for its support so far in the defensive battle against the Russian aggressors and urgently requested further assistance. "It is in our common interest that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin personally loses this war," he said. The Kremlin leader stands "alone against all of us".
Selensky also emphasized, however, that he did not want to rely solely on the military to bring about peace. With a view to the peace conference in Switzerland next weekend, he said: "We want to give diplomacy a chance and have brought together around 100 states. Ukraine has never relied solely on the strength of its weapons."
However, Russia has not been invited to the conference and China - which indirectly backs Putin's power apparatus - has canceled. Following a meeting with Selensky, Chancellor Olaf Scholz nevertheless expressed optimism that progress could be made at the meeting. "Perhaps a way can be found to start a process in which Russia will one day also sit at the table."
Pistorius pledges more weapons to Ukraine
Together with Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius (SPD), Selenskyj also visited Ukrainian soldiers who are being trained on the Patriot air defence system. Pistorius also promised Ukraine further arms deliveries - such as the delivery of small arms, including sniper rifles. "We will make this possible without delay," said Pistorius during the joint visit with Selenskyj to a military training area in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Support is also needed for anti-tank weapons, components for artillery ammunition and in the area of drones and drone defense.
Ukraine can hope for huge aid package from G7 summit
In addition, Ukraine can hope for a new support package from the group of leading democratic industrialized nations (G7) for its defensive fight against the Russian invasion. According to a senior EU official, an agreement is to be reached at the G7 summit in Italy, which begins on Thursday, to finance a loan of around 47 billion euros for Ukraine with interest from frozen Russian state assets.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic