A Decisive Step To Secure NATO against Russia – and Trump

Shifting the lead on coordinating Ukraine aid to NATO from the United States is a step in the right direction, and one which will ultimately strengthen NATO.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is trying to place allied assistance for Ukraine on a firmer footing. It is a significant move for several reasons. In concrete terms, the main aim is for NATO to take the lead on coordinating both the delivery of weapons and the training of Ukrainian soldiers. Until now, the United States has led in these areas. The shift of responsibility from the U.S. to NATO may seem a minor detail given Washington’s unaltered status as the most important member of the defensive alliance. Nevertheless, the change is significant, in view of the impending threat of a second Donald Trump presidency, and the ex-president’s frequent insults and threats to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. While such a drastic scenario remains unlikely, even in the event of Trump’s reelection, putting supranational institutions in charge of the framework for assisting Ukraine, thereby also rendering the system Trump-proof, is indeed a sensible measure. It is also consistent with President Joe Biden’s stated aim at the G7 summit that aid to Ukraine should be less beholden to U.S. domestic politics. Of course, this would not do anything to stop Trump cutting back on funding, but that’s a different issue.

The concerns raised when the plan was introduced as NATO’s “Ukraine mission” do not warrant much attention. The German government immediately objected to the label because it wanted to clarify there was no NATO mission in Ukraine and thus avoid generating grist for Russian war propaganda. Not an unreasonable objection in itself. Yet, it also showed that Berlin appeared to mistake Moscow for an adversary sensible to finer diplomatic details, as opposed to the propaganda machine and self-declared denier of facts that it is. If the Kremlin or the Russian Ministry of Defense wants to protest about something, it will come right out and do so, no matter what Brussels or Berlin have decided to call a particular initiative.

Moscow’s Fantasy War with the West

Stoltenberg’s plan to strengthen support for Ukraine through NATO, on the other hand, is precisely the right way to deal with the constant threats from Moscow. Every step to bolster and unite NATO in supporting Ukraine ultimately enhances NATO’s deterrence and defense posture.

Notwithstanding the prolific output of the Russian propaganda mill fabricating its fantasy war with the West, the stakes of mounting an attack on any member of the alliance remain as high as ever for Moscow. The more NATO undertakes substantive activities, particularly along its Eastern flank, the less likely Russia will be tempted to test the strength of NATO members’ collective resolve.

According to Stoltenberg, closer cooperation among NATO members could also lead to sharing the long-term costs of supporting Ukraine, together with a more determined response to Russia’s current hybrid warfare, most notably its acts of sabotage and cyberattacks. Many individual member states still appear not to have fully grasped the gravity of these proliferating attacks. Consequently, it has never been more important that NATO, for one, recognizes how serious they are.