NATO defense ministers to discuss 'ambitious targets,' support for Ukraine on Feb 13

That's according to a NATO official, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"NATO Defense Ministers will meet on February 13 to discuss a range of topics related to ensuring the security of our Alliance. One issue at the top of our agenda is defense spending," the NATO official said.

The official added that "work is now under way to agree ambitious new capability targets for Allies that will be key to ensuring we have the right people and equipment in place to deter and defend."

Meeting these targets will require that many Allies invest "considerably more", the official said.

The defense ministers are also scheduled to discuss NATO's continued support to Ukraine, including in a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, where NATO ministers will be joined by Ukraine's Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, and the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas.

On February 12, NATO defense ministers will meet in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group format, which will be chaired by the United Kingdom for the first time.

"We expect Ministers to exchange views on other important topics, including the protection of critical undersea infrastructure and ongoing NATO-led missions, including our long-standing Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission, which remains key to safeguarding stability across the Western Balkans," the NATO official said.

“At the Washington Summit in July, Allies pledged to provide Ukraine with a baseline of 40 billion euros in security assistance in 2024. In a report to Allies ahead of the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers that will take place on Thursday, the Secretary General has now confirmed that Allies exceeded this commitment, providing over 50 billion euros of security assistance to Ukraine in 2024. More than half of this comes from European Allies and Canada,” said NATO Acting Spokesperson Allison Hart.

Since 2022, NATO Allies have provided Ukraine with unprecedented support, including 99% of all military aid.