Foreign Policy reports, citing Western officials and US congressional aides, that NATO is considering plans to appoint a new permanent envoy to Ukraine based in Kyiv.
According to the media outlet, the plan, to be presented at the NATO summit in Washington in July, envisions creating a new “senior civilian NATO representative” position in Ukraine modeled after a similar role NATO had in Afghanistan during its nearly 20-year presence there.
The new envoy would coordinate the Alliance’s support for Ukraine, including the flow of military aid from various Western countries to Kyiv.
The high-profile position would also serve as a political signal to Ukraine and Russia about NATO’s commitment to Kyiv’s fight.
“We are looking for ways to institutionalize some of the bilateral support that is flowing into Ukraine and route it through NATO to bring greater coherence to that assistance and ensure there is an adequate burden-sharing across the alliance in our collective support for Ukraine,” Julianne Smith, the US ambassador to NATO, told reporters.
However, other NATO officials privately view the envoy role as part of a pared-back aid package that falls short of Kyiv’s main goal of formal alliance membership.
“It’s part of the consolation prize we’re all trying to assemble. It’s another example of what we’re doing instead of what Ukraine really wants from us,” said one NATO official speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive internal discussions.
NATO and Ukraine plan to sign an agreement to expand cooperation on defense technologies and intelligence sharing on Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities.
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