NATO's Ukraine mission to be based in Germany

The headquarters of NATO's planned mission to coordinate weapons deliveries and training activities for Ukraine is to be based in the western German city of Wiesbaden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, reported dpa.

Wiesbaden is already the United States' military base for its forces in Europe, who have so far been overseeing these coordination activities.

The mission, formally called NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), is to be led by a three-star general who will directly report to the supreme commander of the NATO forces in Europe.

The operational plan for the new mission was cleared by NATO ambassadors on Thursday and formally approved by defence ministers on Friday.

NATO countries have so far been coordinating support to Ukraine through an informal, United States-led group called the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, involving around 300 troops based in Wiesbaden.

The responsibilities are now being shifted to the formal structures of NATO, in part to prepare for the prospect of Donald Trump winning the US presidency and scaling back the country's support for Ukraine.