WASHINGTON: NATO has agreed to launch a new program to provide reliable military aid and training to Ukraine and help it get ready to join the alliance.
The plan will supplement, but not replace, the two-year-old Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was created by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after Russia launched its February 2022 invasion into Ukraine. That group, with more than 50 nations from Europe and around the world, coordinates the delivery of much-needed weapons and training to Ukraine.
But the failure of the US Congress to fund any weapons for months due to partisan gridlock late last year and early this year, as well as similar lags in European Union funds, underscored how vulnerable that effort was to the vagaries of politics.
And the delays allowed Russian troops to gain the advantage on the battlefield, and led to widespread complaints from Ukraine’s forces about lack of equipment and weapons.
Some officials have described the new NATO organization as a way to “Trump-proof” alliance support for Ukraine in case former President Donald Trump wins the November election. But that may be a reach.
Here’s what is planned and what it will and won’t do:
Ukraine Defense Contact Group
Over the past two years, the US-created group has evolved into a more sophisticated and organized effort that so far has pumped more than $100 billion in weapons, equipment and training into Ukraine.
The US alone has sent more than $53.6 billion in security aid, including about $25 billion in presidential drawdown authority, under which weapons are taken from Pentagon stocks and sent quickly to Ukraine. The US has provided more than $27 billion in longer-term funding for weapons contracts through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
The rest of the NATO members and other international partners have provided about $50 billion in weapons and security assistance, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, an independent research organization based in Germany.
An international coordination center was set up at Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, the US Army base in Wiesbaden, Germany, to identify Ukraine’s needs, and to locate equipment, weapons and spare parts in other countries that could fill those requirements. That group may eventually be absorbed into the new NATO organization.
And the contact group set up eight so-called capability coalitions headed by various countries to concentrate on specific military requirements: such as fighter aircraft, tanks, artillery, naval assets, air defense, de-mining, cyber and drones. Those are expected to continue.
The new NATO plan
Under the plan endorsed by NATO heads of state on Wednesday, the alliance will take on a broader role to coordinate training and equipment donations.
The effort will be based at the US Army Garrison Wiesbaden in Germany and is expected to be led by a US three-star general. There will be about 700 staff members, including some who will work at logistics nodes in eastern allied nations.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the new program would put support for Ukraine on a “firmer footing for years to come” but would avoid making the alliance a party to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
And NATO also is pledging to provide at least €40 billion ($43.3 billion) within the next year, and “to provide sustainable levels of security assistance for Ukraine to prevail,” while taking into account budgets and other agreements.
The new coordination effort is dubbed the NSATU — NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine — and it will oversee three main areas:
A way to help Ukraine join NATO
A critical component of the new NSATU is that it will help facilitate Ukraine’s effort to become a member of NATO.
Membership in the alliance requires that nations meet a litany of political, economic and security criteria. For example, Ukraine’s military forces will have to meet certain standards of conduct and training, and their weapons and equipment have to be interoperable with those of other allied nations.
The NSATU will help ensure that as time goes on the weapons and training for Ukraine fit what would be required for NATO membership.
In announcing the effort earlier this year, Stoltenberg said it would help to organize training for Ukrainian military personnel in NATO member countries, coordinate and plan donations of the equipment that Kyiv needs, and manage the transfer and repair of that military equipment.
But is it Trump-proof?
Likely not.
A key incentive for the broader NATO organization, according to some officials, is the worry that Trump could regain the presidency and scale back support for the alliance as well as help to Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Trump reiterated his threat that he will not defend NATO members that don’t meet defense spending targets. And he set off alarms in Europe by suggesting he would tell Russia to attack NATO allies he considered delinquent.
And the gap in US funding for Ukraine this year was the result of opposition from Republican allies of Trump in Congress who blocked the aid package for months.
While moving some assistance for Ukraine under the NATO umbrella provides greater consistency, any change in US administrations could trigger shifts in US policy. And that could include limits on spending to support Ukraine or any other diplomatic or military operations.
Participation in the Ukraine contact group, for example, could be upended, as well as any other Pentagon program.
NATO agrees to take on coordination of some Ukraine security support
https://arab.news/nm4m8
NATO agrees to take on coordination of some Ukraine security support
- The delays allowed Russian troops to gain the advantage on the battlefield
- Some officials have described the new NATO organization as a way to “Trump-proof” alliance support for Ukraine in case former President Donald Trump wins
Princess of Wales pulls out of engagement at Royal Ascot
Racegoers had hoped to see Kate on Wednesday
LONDON: The Princess of Wales canceled plans to attend Royal Ascot on Wednesday as she continues to balance the demands of her public duties against the realities of her recovery from cancer.
Kate, as Prince William’s wife is commonly known, has been gradually returning to public duties since last fall, when she announced that she had completed chemotherapy and would return to work. At the time, she said her road to full recovery would be long and she would “take each day as it comes.”
Royal Ascot, a five-day series of horse races, is the centerpiece of the summer social season in Britain, with members of the royal family attending throughout the meeting.
Racegoers had hoped to see Kate on Wednesday, as Prince William was scheduled to awarding race prizes. William attended without his wife.
Kate, 42, announced on Sept. 9 that she had completed treatment six months after revealing she had an undisclosed type of cancer.
The announcement came six weeks after Buckingham Palace said King Charles III was also being treated for cancer, stretching the ability of the royal family to keep up with its busy schedule of public appearances. Charles has also returned to public duties.
Pakistan has had no new military cooperation with Iran since Israeli strikes began, defense minister Asif tells Arab News
- Khawaja Asif says Pakistan is mobilizing China and Muslim countries to press for calm before Israel-Iran conflict engulfs entire region
- Says Pakistan Army on high alert and nuclear security robust, warns Israeli government “will think many times before taking on Pakistan”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that Islamabad had not engaged in any new military cooperation with Tehran since Israel launched attacks on Iran last week and had not held specific talks with the US over the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
Iran, which borders Pakistan, has hit back with strikes against Israel after it unleashed waves of attacks on Friday at Iranian nuclear installations, missile stockpiles, scientists and military commanders, among other targets, sparking global alarm that the conflict could erupt into a regional war.
The latest escalation follows months of hostilities between Israel and Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, which intensified after the war in Gaza was launched late in 2023.
Regional powers fear a direct confrontation could spiral into a broader conflict involving major oil shipping lanes and global energy supplies.
For Pakistan, a close Iranian neighbor and a longtime opponent of Israel, a prolonged conflict risks disrupting border security, inflaming sectarian tensions at home and possibly putting it in a tight spot with Arab allies and the West.
Speaking to Arab News, Asif said regular security cooperation was continuing with Iran along their shared border to combat militant groups, but no fresh operational coordination had been initiated in response to Israel’s attacks on Iranian territory since June 13.
“I don’t see any need for it,” the defense minister said in response to a question on whether Pakistan’s military was coordinating with its Iranian counterparts on the border or engaging in any fresh defense cooperation.
“We coordinate on a very regular basis as far as the Iran and Pakistan border is concerned because of terrorist activities … that sort of cooperation is already on. So I don’t see any new activity.”
Asked if Pakistan had held talks with Washington to discuss the fast-evolving situation, the minister said there had been no contact specifically on the crisis in the past five days.
“But we are in constant touch with the United States of America regarding the tense situation we have in this region.”
Asif said Pakistan’s leadership was instead focused on engagement with close partners like China and Muslim countries to press for calm, warning that the conflict risked engulfing the entire region.
“The countries who have religious affinity with us or geographical affinity, even China or other countries, because what we are pursuing is peace,” he said.
“And we would like to mobilize the countries of this region. This conflict can multiply and it can engulf the whole region into a situation which could be very, very disastrous.”
Diplomatic and security experts warn that the Israel-Iran hostilities could affect Pakistan by destabilizing its western border with Iran, threatening energy imports as oil prices surge and creating new pressures on Pakistan’s relations with the US and Gulf partners if Islamabad is seen as tilting too far toward Tehran.
On the other hand, if Tehran were to fall or be severely weakened, analysts say Pakistan would likely side with the US and its allies — despite being Iran’s immediate neighbor — to protect its strategic and economic interests.
Addressing concerns over past remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have drawn parallels between Iran and Pakistan as so-called militant Islamic regimes that needed to be deterred, Asif rejected any immediate threat to Pakistan from Tel Aviv, but stressed Islamabad would remain vigilant.
“If we are threatened by Israel, which I will discount at the moment … what happens in the coming months or years I can’t predict, but at the moment I discount (a threat from Israel),” he said.
He described Israel as a state with “hegemonic intent” whose recent actions in Gaza and against Iran were “extremely dangerous to the immediate region,” and said global public opinion was turning against Israeli policies despite support or muted reactions from many Western governments.
Asif declined to comment on reports that Pakistan had scrambled fighter jets near its nuclear sites and the Iranian border in response to Israel’s initial strikes on Iran but insisted that its nuclear security remained robust.
In addition to the Middle East tensions, Pakistan faced a major military standoff with India last month in which the two sides exchanged missile, drone and artillery attacks.
Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian jets and struck back at military positions, triggering fears of a wider conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals before a ceasefire was announced by the Trump administration on May 10.
When questioned about any direct threat to Pakistan’s national security or strategic assets as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, Asif said Pakistan’s armed forces were already on high alert following the latest confrontation with New Delhi, describing the country’s nuclear facilities as “very militantly guarded, very grudgingly guarded” and fully compliant with international safeguards.
“Since our short war with India, we have been on alert so we have not lowered guards … We can never take the risk of any attack on our nuclear facility from anywhere, that is something which is a lifeline as far as our defense is concerned,” he said.
Asif said Pakistan’s performance in the recent fight with India was evidence of his country’s defense capability and national resolve, which would deter Israel from any adventurism.
“We have just had a bout with India and we clearly established our superiority, the superiority of our armed forces, air force, Pakistan army, Pakistan navy and the determination of our people, the way the nation stood behind the armed forces,” he said.
“So I think Netanyahu or his people or his government will think many times before taking on Pakistan.”
‘Nobody knows’: Trump won’t say whether he will move forward with US strikes on Iran
- Trump said: “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do”
- Trump added that it’s not “too late” for Iran to give up its nuclear program
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a US strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens.
“I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House . “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump added that it’s not “too late” for Iran to give up its nuclear program as he continues to weigh direct US involvement in Israel’s military operations aimed at crushing Tehran’s nuclear program.
“Nothing’s too late,” Trump said. “I can tell you this. Iran’s got a lot of trouble.”
“Nothing is finished until it is finished,” Trump added. But “the next week is going to be very big— maybe less than a week.”
Trump also offered a terse response to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s refusal to heed to his call for Iran to submit to an unconditional surrender.
“I say good luck,” Trump said.
Khamenei earlier Wednesday warned that any United States strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will “result in irreparable damage for them” and that his country would not bow to Trump’s call for surrender.
Trump said Tuesday the US knows where Iran’s Khamenei is hiding as the the Israel-Iran conflict escalates but doesn’t want him killed — “for now.”
“He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump said.
Trump’s increasingly muscular comments toward the Iranian government come after he urged Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his participation in an international summit earlier this week to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team.
Trump said that the Iranian officials continue to reach out to the White House as they’re “getting the hell beaten out of them” by Israel. But he added there’s a “big difference between now and a week ago” in Tehran’s negotiating position.
“They’ve suggested that they come to the White House— that’s, you know, courageous,” Trump said.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations refuted Trump’s claim in a statement on social media. “No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to ‘take out’ Iran’s Supreme Leader. ”
The US president said earlier this week Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to serve a mediator with. But Trump said he told Putin to keep focused on finding an endgame to his own conflict with Ukraine.
“I said, ‘Do me a favor, mediate your own,’” Trump said he told Putin. “I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.’”
The Russia-Iran relationship has deepened since Putin launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022, with Tehran providing Moscow with drones, ballistic missiles, and other support, according to US intelligence findings.
German minister to Iran: never too late to negotiate
- “It is never too late to come to the negotiating table if one comes with sincere intentions,” Johann Wadephul said
- Wadephul said Israel’s fear that Iran would develop nuclear weapons was justified
BERLIN: Germany’s foreign minister appealed to Iran’s leaders to make credible assurances that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and to show it is willing to find a negotiated solution as fears mount of further military escalation between Iran and Israel.
“We are still ready to negotiate a solution. However, Iran must act urgently ... it is never too late to come to the negotiating table if one comes with sincere intentions,” Johann Wadephul said at a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart on Wednesday.
Wadephul said Israel’s fear that Iran would develop nuclear weapons was justified and it had a right to self-defense.
“The Israeli decision to do something against this threat is comprehensible,” he said, adding civilian deaths on both sides were regrettable after air attacks between Iran and Israel.
His ministry was arranging special flights later on Wednesday and on Thursday to each repatriate about 180 German citizens via Amman, he said.
Wadephul also said Germany had agreed to create an economic council with Syria to improve cooperation and boost prosperity and stability there.
Hegseth says the Pentagon has given Trump possible options for Israel-Iran conflict
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said ‘maximum force protection’ was being provided for US troops in the Middle East
- He said that it is Trump’s decision whether to provide Israel a ‘bunker buster’ bomb to strike at the core of Iran’s nuclear program
WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday that the Pentagon was providing possible options to President Donald Trump as he decides next steps on Iran but would not say whether the military was planning to assist with Israeli strikes, an action that could risk dragging America into a wider war in the Middle East.
Hegseth was on Capitol Hill for the last of his series of often combative hearings before lawmakers, who have pressed him on everything from a ban on transgender troops to his use of a Signal chat to share sensitive military plans earlier this year.
In questioning before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth said “maximum force protection” was being provided for US troops in the Middle East and that it is Trump’s decision whether to provide Israel a ”bunker buster” bomb to strike at the core of Iran’s nuclear program, which would require US pilots flying a B-2 stealth bomber. He would not indicate what the US may do next.
“My job — our job, the chairman and I — at all times is to make sure the president has options and is informed of what those options might be and what the ramifications of those options might be,” Hegseth said, referring to Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was testifying alongside him.
The US has shifted significant numbers of refueling tanker and fighter aircraft to position them to be able to respond to the escalating conflict, such as supporting possible evacuations, or airstrikes. Hegseth said this week that was done to protect US personnel and air bases.
Hegseth, who is appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, has spent vast amounts of time during his first months in office promoting the social changes he’s making at the Pentagon. He’s been far less visible in the administration’s more critical international security crises and negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and Iran.
