NATO leaders are trying to keep the US steady on support for Ukraine as Republicans falter

With Republicans in Congress reluctant to provide more military aid to Ukraine, NATO’s top diplomat warned Tuesday that it would be “dangerous” to curtail support for the war as member states sought to keep the United States committed to their obligations to Kiev and because the conflict in Gaza undermines Washington’s attention.

As foreign ministers met at the military alliance’s headquarters on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that Ukraine would remain a top priority. He predicted that U.S. aid would continue — not only to protect U.S. security interests, but also because that’s “what we agreed to.”

“It is our duty to ensure that we provide Ukraine with the weapons they need, because it will be a tragedy for Ukrainians if President Putin wins,” Stoltenberg told journalists in Brussels at the start of two days of rallies of the military alliance. “It will be dangerous for us too.”

“The challenge now is that we have to maintain the support,” Mr Stoltenberg said. He added: “We just have to stay the course.”

A White House proposal to send Ukraine about $61.4 billion in additional emergency aid — out of a total plan of $105 billion — has stalled in the Republican-led House. This leaves the United States with less than $5 billion available to contribute to the war effort; U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to date has amounted to approximately $45 billion in weapons and equipment.

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken tried to allay concerns among NATO leaders.

“We will strongly reaffirm our support for Ukraine as the country continues to face Russia’s war of aggression,” Mr. Blinken said a few hours later as he entered Tuesday’s meetings.

The sharp remarks underscored NATO’s efforts to deter Russia as the war in Ukraine nears the two-year mark – and as all indications suggest the conflict is likely to rage on for much longer.

What was once a resounding show of unity within the military alliance has given way to fears that top Republicans in the United States will back away from continuing to support the wave of weapons the West has sent to Ukraine since Russia in February 2022 invaded. At the same time, NATO’s plans to include Sweden as a full member within the alliance continue to be challenged, undermining efforts to create a common front among the alliance’s members.

The Biden administration, keen to support Ukraine and remain a reliable partner within NATO, has predicted that war funding will be approved by the end of the year.

“It is critical for American security, for the security of the alliance and for the sense of security of our key partners that we provide the assistance requested,” James O’Brien, the secretary of state for European policy, told reporters on the eve of the elections. the meetings in Brussels.

But Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday in an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” about war financing that “it would be very difficult to get this done by the end of the year.” to get. ” given the current mood in Congress.

NATO’s guarantees are particularly crucial as Ukraine faces an uncertain winter, with dwindling supplies of ammunition and other weapons, as the country tries to protect its power grids and mount an offensive that is struggling to gain ground in the south and east of the country.

Mr. Stoltenberg acknowledged that Ukraine had not drastically pushed the front lines further into Russian territory over the past year. But he said the forces were holding their own against the much larger Russian army.

“The heavy fighting continues,” he said.

Perhaps mindful of the uncertainty of allied support for Ukraine, several diplomats said Tuesday that the alliance must establish long-term security commitments and “define together what the next steps are so as not to create expectations that we will not be able to meet.” ”, said Mariya Gabriel, the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly echoed those concerns.

“While what is happening in the Middle East requires much of our attention, we must ensure that we always focus on Ukraine,” Ms Joly said.

“Ukraine has a lot, but needs more,” she added. “There have been a lot of words. We still need more action, and that is why we will talk about the implementation of our obligations.”

Looming over Tuesday’s meetings was a still-unfulfilled promise by Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden as NATO’s 32nd member state, as proposed 18 months ago.

The parliaments of both countries have stalled on approving Sweden’s membership. Turkey has raised concerns about the human rights protection of Kurdish PKK militants in Stockholm, who are considered terrorists by much of the West. And Hungary is largely waiting for Turkey to approve Sweden.

A host of foreign ministers expressed disappointment on Tuesday that Sweden’s application had stalled.

“Sweden’s membership is of great importance for the entire alliance,” said Elina Valtonen, the foreign minister of Finland, which itself joined NATO as a full member last April, putting aside years of neutrality after the Russian invasion pushed.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has made no promises.

“I am confident that we will have very frank and open discussions,” Mr. Fidan said ahead of a private meeting with Mr. Blinken.