NATO commits $42 billion to Ukraine ahead of Washington summit
NATO countries agreed to allocate 42 billion CAD for military aid to Ukraine next year, a Western European diplomat told Reuters on Wednesday, a week before the North Atlantic Alliance summit in Washington.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asked member states to maintain military aid for Ukraine at the same level as in previous years since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This means a total of about 42 billion CAD per year.
NATO makes a key decision before the summit
NATO leaders will sign a commitment on this matter next week in the U.S. capital.
Seventy-five years ago, 12 countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington to ensure collective defence in an unpredictable world. This year, 32 NATO allies will meet again in Washington to make critical decisions about how to continue to protect their billion citizens.
At next week's meeting, NATO leaders will discuss a wide range of issues facing the Alliance and ensure that NATO remains ready to respond to any challenge.
"At the Washington summit, we will once again demonstrate NATO's unity and strength by supporting Ukraine and ensuring the security of all our people and values," Stoltenberg said earlier.
poland wants to strengthen the eastern flank
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Radio Zet that at the NATO summit in Washington, the Polish delegation will seek to establish a NATO unit in Bydgoszcz and strengthen the eastern flank. He emphasized that Poland is going to the summit as a model to follow regarding defence spending.
"We currently have 12,000 foreign soldiers, we are building the 'Tusk Shield' and we need to strengthen our air and missile defence," Sikorski noted. He clarified that this refers to the East Shield.
The East Shield program is to be implemented in 2024-28, with a budget of 3 billion CAD. It includes preparing to defend border areas by increasing so-called counter-surprise capabilities, including building a detection, warning, and tracking system based on a network of base stations, forward operating bases (logistics hubs), a network of bunkers/shelters for strike systems, and developing infrastructure for anti-drone systems.
