NATO has appointed Patrick Turner to be the alliance’s special envoy in Kiev, the defence alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced in a statement on Wednesday.
Turner is to lead the NATO Representation in Ukraine (NRU) from September.
Stoltenberg said the high-ranking British official “brings years of leadership and experience to the role.’’
The official is tasked with coordinating the political and practical support of the alliance on the ground as Ukraine continues to defend itself against the full-scale Russian invasion.
Turner previously served as NATO’s assistant secretary general for operations, and assistant secretary general for defence policy and planning.
NATO has had official representation in Kiev for almost a decade, including a liaison office and an information and documentation centre that has existed since the late 1990s.
Among other things, it handled contacts with Ukrainian ministries and authorities and aimed to promote political dialogue and practical cooperation with NATO.
The appointment came after a NATO leaders’ summit in Washington, where allies formally adopted a plan for NATO to coordinate military aid to Ukraine.
This is happening for the first time under a formal mission called the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU).
So far, NATO allies have coordinated military aid not through NATO itself, but through the United States-led Ukraine Contact Group.
NATO’s position is that it is not a party to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
But the contact group’s reliance on U.S. coordination has European allies worried that it could falter if November’s presidential election returns Donald Trump to the White House.
This is because they doubt Trump’s willingness to support Ukraine’s war effort.
NSATU is to be headquartered in the German city of Wiesbaden. (dpa/NAN)
