"The delays have had serious consequences": NATO to put in place structures for permanent and uninterrupted assistance to Ukraine

NATO will establish a permanent structure at the Washington summit to organise and finance the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in his speech at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

According to Stoltenberg, the amount has not yet been determined.

"Military supplies need to flow to Ukraine again in a steady stream, as previous delays and unfulfilled supply promises have had serious consequences. This is one of the reasons why I proposed at the Summit to affirm NATO's greater role in coordinating and providing assistance and training to Ukrainian forces," said Stoltenberg.

He stressed that permanent assistance requires a solid, strong institutionalised structure.

"Temporary, short-term voluntary pledges are good, but in the long term we need more predictable and larger-scale support for Ukraine," he said.

Earlier, as Bloomberg wrote, the NATO Secretary General stated the need to create a permanent military fund worth €100 billion a year. The initiative must be approved by 32 members of the North Atlantic Alliance.

According to Politico, at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly, NATO countries are demanding more clarity from Stoltenberg on this plan.

According to the publication, one of the Eastern European officials said that the NATO Secretary General's plan seems "a bit confusing". Another official said that the €100bn figure could be revised and that the allies should demonstrate concrete support for Kyiv.

Background. As a reminder, Stoltenberg has advocated allowing Ukraine to strike enemy targets on Russian territory. Denying Ukraine the ability to use weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes defence very difficult, he said.