NATO plans to create a new position of special envoy in Ukraine to bolster its long-term commitments to the country, reports Foreign Policy.
"The NATO alliance is weighing plans to install a permanent new Ukraine envoy based in Kyiv as it looks to ramp up its long-term commitments to Ukraine amid the country’s war against Russia," Foreign Policy writes.
The creation of a new position of Senior Civil Representative of NATO in Ukraine is envisaged in a plan that will be presented at the NATO summit in Washington in July 2024.
The envoy will coordinate NATO's support for Ukraine, including the flow of military aid to Kyiv from various Western countries.
"The high-profile envoy post would also send a political message to both Ukraine and Russia about the alliance’s commitment to Kyiv’s fight as the Ukrainian government seeks permanent NATO membership to bulk up its protection against Russian military aggression," journalists claim.
Several Western officials positively assess the creation of the new position and consider it part of a larger package of support for Ukraine from NATO. In particular, this view was expressed by Julianne Smith, the US ambassador to NATO.
"We’re looking at ways to institutionalize some of the bilateral support that has flowed to Ukraine and put it into the NATO alliance, to bring greater coherence to that assistance and to ensure that there is adequate burden-sharing across the alliance in our collective support to Ukraine," she said.
However, there are also alternative views. Some NATO representatives see the role of the envoy as part of a reduced aid package that does not align with Ukraine's main goal of formal accession to the Alliance.
According to one official speaking on condition of anonymity, the creation of the envoy position is part of a consolation prize they are trying to create.
"It’s another example of things we are doing in lieu of what Ukraine actually wants us to do" he concluded.
According to the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, the NATO summit in Washington will touch on three key aspects related to Ukraine. However, the question of Ukraine's membership in NATO and possible accession timelines will not be discussed.
Earlier, it was reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had rejected the idea of creating a five-year, $100 billion fund for military aid to Ukraine.