NATO promises money – not membership – as Zelensky brings victory plan to Brussels – POLITICO

“I am pleased to report that we are well on track to achieve our goals [on] “We are fulfilling the commitment of 40 billion euros agreed in Washington for the coming year,” Rutte said at a press conference on Wednesday, referring to the summit of NATO heads of state and government in July.

“I can announce today that NATO Allies have committed 20.9 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine in the first half of 2024 and that Allies are on track to meet their commitments for the remainder of the year,” said he.

Rutte also confirmed that a NATO hub in Wiesbaden, Germany, to deliver military aid to Ukraine will become operational next month.

As Ukraine’s Western partners dither over granting Kiev permission to use donated weapons to attack targets inside and outside Russia, just when it should be included in NATO, Russia’s allies are increasing their support for Moscow. There are reports from Kiev that North Korean troops have been sent to the war – although Rutte said NATO had no confirmed information yet.

“The increasing alignment of authoritarian actors such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran is undermining stability in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions,” Rutte said.

In a sign of the global challenge to democracies, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will attend the meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday and Friday for the first time in the alliance’s history.