Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov personally participated in the talks and urged partner countries to hurry up before the anniversary of the Russian strike. On Twitter, he called on the allies, among other things, to quickly strengthen the “coalition of tanks”, more ammunition and faster training for Ukrainian soldiers. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin also warned in Brussels that Ukraine had “urgent needs” at this “critical moment in the war”.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized that the weapons systems already delivered must also be ready for use: “We need ammunition, spare parts and maintenance.” There are no signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for peace. Rather, he is preparing “for more war, for new offensives and new attacks”. Therefore, it is all the more important for NATO countries and their partners to provide Ukraine with more support.
Portal/Johanna Geron US Defense Secretary Austin chaired Ukraine Contact Group meeting
In concrete terms, it’s about providing more ammunition and increasing production capacities – also so that our own stocks can be replenished. In addition, it is urgent to deliver the weapons that have already been promised. Here, the Norwegian mentioned the German Marder infantry fighting vehicle, the US Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and major battle tanks such as the German Leopard 2.
Met with NATO SG @jensstoltenberg
Thanked him for his consistent support for Ukraine.
NATO declared Russia the most significant and direct threat.
While our soldiers defended peace in Europe, Ukraine de facto joined NATO. I’m doing my best to make that happen de jure. pic.twitter.com/CAezNXHgjh— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) February 14, 2023
Germany wants to resume producing ammunition
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Germany will resume producing ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank. “Contracts for the production of calico ammunition have been signed,” Pistorius said ahead of the meeting. Ammunition is produced by the Rheinmetall armaments group.
According to Pistorius, the decision was also made not to rely on neutral Switzerland. At the same time, he appealed to the German arms industry to increase production capacity. “There will be no short-term end to the war,” he added.
New commitments from Portugal and Norway
Meanwhile, new commitments from Portugal and Norway also arrived. According to the German Defense Minister, the Lisbon government wants to supply Ukraine with three tanks of the latest Leopard 2 type. For a small NATO country like Portugal, this is a “reasonable contribution”, Pistorius said.
Shortly thereafter, it was said in Oslo that Norway would deliver eight Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. There would also be spare parts, ammunition and up to four armored vehicles. However, the Ministry of Defense left it open when the tanks were due to be delivered. The situation in Ukraine is approaching a critical phase, the country depends on rapid and comprehensive support from the West, he said.
APA/AFP/Wojtek Radwanski Norway announced that it would supply eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Kiev
Spain also announced that it would train 55 crew and technicians from Ukraine in Leopard main battle tanks. The Ukrainians would arrive in Spain by the end of the week, Defense Secretary Margarita Robles said. However, Robles left open how many tanks Spain will deliver.
Discussion on jet fighters is ongoing
The question of a possible delivery of Western F-16 fighters to Ukraine remains open even after the recent meeting of the international contact group for the coordination of military aid. When asked whether Ukraine’s allies had discussed sending fighter jets to help the country with its war effort, Secretary of Defense Austin said he had “no announcements to make today”. He wanted to leave it at that. Stoltenberg also stated that the discussion was ongoing, but that it was not the most pressing matter.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak recalled that the issue of delivering the F-16 fighters arose shortly after the start of the Russian attack. He thinks that, as with the issue of Leopard tanks or Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, “pressure should be put on the allies,” he said. Although Poland only has 48 such fighters, other allies have much greater potential.
Portal/Johanna Geron According to Stoltenberg, fighter jets are not the most pressing issue for Ukraine at the moment
The Netherlands has already said it will not rule out the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. It is true that the Ukrainians asked their country for F-16s, said Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. We take this wish “very seriously”. At the same time, Ollongren highlighted that the F-16 is a complex weapons system and that the issue should be discussed with partners such as the US. Fighter jets are not comparable to main battle tanks.
even line required
Former head of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger has called on NATO to take a unified line in the Ukraine war. “That’s why I think we need a politico-strategic contact group to define the objectives of the western war so clearly that we all know – we all know – where we are going,” he told Germany’s RBB Inforadio. For example, the question of whether NATO should encourage Ukraine to recapture Crimea remains open. “There’s a wide range of different opinions,” Ischinger said.
Question of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
At the meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, Stoltenberg also surprisingly signaled his openness to Sweden and Finland’s entry into NATO separately. The most important question is not whether Turkey will ratify the two countries’ accession protocols together. It is important that both succeed “as soon as possible”. He is confident that will be the case soon. “We’re working hard on it,” he added.
A possible backdrop for Stoltenberg’s remarks is the ongoing debate in Finland over whether the country should initially go it alone in the event of an ongoing Turkish blockade against Sweden’s membership of the alliance. NATO circles said on Tuesday that Finland’s admission was strategically more important than Sweden’s. Unlike Sweden, Finland borders Russia. It is about 1,340 kilometers long.