NATO member states have decided to send a special envoy to Kiev, which will expand the civilian presence of the Western defense alliance in Ukraine , a spokesman for the alliance confirmed to DPA, BTA reported.
The senior official will be tasked with coordinating the alliance's political and practical support on the ground as Ukraine continues to defend itself against a large-scale Russian invasion. The decision came ahead of a NATO summit in Washington, scheduled for July 9-11, at which leaders are expected to formally adopt a plan that would see the alliance for the first time coordinate military aid to Ukraine under an official mission called Support for NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine - NSATU).
For now, it is not clear who will be appointed to the new post in Kyiv. Further details will be revealed after his official selection, the spokesman said, confirming plans reported by the Wall Street Journal.
NATO has had an official presence in Kyiv for almost a decade, including a liaison office and an information and documentation center that have existed since the late 1990s. Among other things, it makes contacts with Ukrainian ministries and authorities and aims to promote political dialogue and practical cooperation, DPA notes. The expected start of the new official NATO mission, which will also oversee the training of Ukrainian soldiers in NATO countries, comes as leaders look ahead to the upcoming US presidential election.
Until now, NATO member states have coordinated military aid to Kiev not through the Alliance itself, but through the Washington-led Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine. NATO's position is that it is not a party to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, DPA notes. But the contact group's dependence on US coordination has prompted European allies to express concern that it could fall apart if November's presidential election returns Donald Trump to the White House, as they question his willingness to back Ukraine's war effort. The headquarters of NSATU will be in the German city of Wiesbaden, located in the central province of Hesse.