Funding to support Ukraine not charity but investment: Belgian foreign minister

By Nur Asena Erturk

Funding to support Ukraine is not charity but an investment, the Belgian foreign minister said Wednesday.

Hadja Lahbib, in a doorstep statement at the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, announced that the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will propose to “allocate €100 billion ($108 billion) for the next five years” for Ukraine.

“We will envisage the feasibility of this proposition among us,” Lahbib said.

“This is not charity. This is an investment to our own protection. So this is very important, but on the other hand, it is dangerous to make promises that we cannot keep,” she added.

“It is clear that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not stop at Ukraine, and that he has ambitions that go beyond the Ukrainian territory, to other countries such as Moldova and Georgia,” the Belgian foreign minister said.

She emphasized the importance of considering all possibilities and harmonizing the support for Ukraine.

“I think, what is planned for now, is a contribution per allied country based on their gross domestic product, so the discussions are open,” Lahbib also explained.

NATO foreign ministers holding a two-day meeting in Brussels to discuss the situation in Ukraine, ways to support Kyiv, and the developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

- Situation in MidEast

“The risk of the spillover is more present than ever, many allies are very worried and concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground,” Lahbib said.

She recalled that Belgium asked for months for an “immediate cease-fire,” and regretted that the UN resolutions on this matter did not reflect any consequences on the grounds, “which poses the question of our real leverages to stop the violence in the regions, while we are accused of double standards.”

Lahbib said that recognizing the state of Palestine requires a governmental agreement, which is something that Belgium would consider when the time comes.

“I think that it is important to not recognize Palestine for a symbolic gesture, I mean, but more for a concrete evolution on the ground, and a recognition with full stages of seat,” she said, expressing her support for that.

Israel has waged a military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 32,900 Palestinians have since been killed besides causing mass destruction and displacement.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.