NEW YORK, April 3. /TASS/. Some NATO countries are skeptical of the plan floated by the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to secure $100 billion in aid for Ukraine over the next five years, The New York Times writes referring to sources.

According to one of them, "several allies have questioned how NATO would be able to corral the $100 billion when it has no leverage to raise money among member states."

Another NATO official said that Hungary "opposed the effort to put the Defense Contact Group under the alliance’s oversight." Currently, the Pentagon is responsible for this.

The paper stresses that it is unclear at this point whether Washington will support these changes. Last month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hailed the current format as "a very effective forum". The New York Times also reiterates that NATO was previously reluctant to take a more active role in the conflict in Ukraine "given fears of provoking a wider and more severe response" from Russia.

Bloomberg reported earlier, citing sources, that the NATO secretary general "is proposing to establish a fund of allied contributions worth $100 billion over five years for Ukraine as part of a package for alliance leaders to sign off when they gather in Washington in July." "As part of the package, NATO could also take over the operational duties of the US-led Ukraine Contact Defense Group, which coordinates weapons deliveries by about 50 countries to Ukraine," the sources said. According to Bloomberg, "institutionalizing NATO’s support could signal their commitment to Ukraine for the long term <...> - especially as members are unlikely to extend a formal invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance" at the Washington summit.