BRUSSELS — International backers of
Ukraine on Wednesday discussed the “top priority” of
supplying more air defenses to Kyiv, with Washington saying Russia’s blitz of
strikes had hardened allied resolve to help.
اضافة اعلان
Ukrainian
Defense Minister
Oleksiy Reznikov said just three words when asked what he
hoped for from a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels: “air defense
systems”.
A US-led group
of nearly 50 countries was holding talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels on
Wednesday with the focus on air defenses after Russia unleashed a blitz across
Ukraine following a blast at a bridge to the annexed Crimea peninsula.
Ukraine’s
President
Volodymyr Zelensky had called on G7 leaders on Tuesday to help
establish an “air shield” over his country.
NATO chief Jens
Stoltenberg said discussions would address “how to ramp up support for Ukraine
and the top priority will be more air defense” after this week’s strikes.
“The horrific
and indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainian cities left civilians killed and
civilian critical infrastructure destroyed,” Stoltenberg said. “This demonstrates
the urgent need for more air defense for Ukraine.”
Western allies
were scrambling to work out how to supply more advanced systems to Ukraine as
diplomats admit they have precious few to spare.
A first Iris-T medium-range system has arrived
in Ukraine after Germany decided to ship it before even giving it to its own
troops.
The United
States has also said it is looking to expedite the delivery of its NASAMS
anti-missile and anti-drone system to Kyiv and a first batch of two is expected
in the coming weeks.
Deliveries of a
further six units could take far longer as they need to be manufactured and US
sources said Washington is eyeing the possibility of trying to get Cold War-era
Hawk systems to Ukraine in the meantime.
‘Pivotal moment’
“We’ll look at artillery fires and the
Ukrainians’ air and missile
defense needs,” top US Gen. Mark Milley said ahead of the talks on Wednesday.
“We’ll be
working with the nearly 50 countries represented to increase Ukraine’s ability
to defend itself, especially against Russian air and missile attacks.”
NATO defense
ministers, who will meet on Thursday, are pushing for ways to bolster their
overall weapons stockpiles as the war in Ukraine has depleted their shelves.
NATO members
have supplied weaponry worth billions of dollars to help fight Russia’s more
than seven-month invasion of Ukraine and have vowed to keep supplies flowing as
Kyiv pushes to recapture occupied territories.
“Allies have
provided support to Ukraine by reducing NATO stocks, or ammunition, or weapons.
This has been the right thing to do, but of course, we need to address how to
refill those stocks,” Stoltenberg said.
“I expect that
the ministers will agree to review our guidelines for stocks and also to engage
more with industry.”
The NATO chief
said the meeting in Brussels comes at a “pivotal moment” as Putin has followed
up battlefield losses by annexing seized territory and issuing veiled nuclear
threats.
Western powers
say they have seen no change in
Moscow’s nuclear posture that would suggest it is
getting ready to launch a strike. They have warned Moscow against deploying any
small, tactical atomic bomb in Ukraine.
“We have seen of course
the speculations about the use of low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine and we
have conveyed clearly to Russia that this will have severe consequences for
Russia,” Stoltenberg said.
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