Brussels The NATO countries are planning a significant increase in military support for Ukraine. At a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday, a radical change of course on the question of supplying heavy weapons to the country attacked by Russia became clear. In the background, several participants confirmed that the NATO country Czech Republic had already brought main battle tanks to Ukraine.
About two weeks ago, such support was ruled out at a special NATO summit. The main reason given at the time was the concern that Russia could react to this and take action against NATO countries.
On Thursday, the statements made at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting sounded significantly different. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the partners are looking at how Ukraine can be supported more intensively and in a coordinated manner in the future.
Ukraine has a right to self-defense. Similar statements were made, for example, by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the British Foreign Minister. Liz Truss said: “We are intensifying our arms sales to Ukraine.”
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
One reason for the NATO countries’ change of course is the discovery of war crimes in the vicinity of the capital Kyiv after the withdrawal of Russian troops. At the same time, the probability that Russia could mess with NATO over the arms deliveries is currently considered to be very low. This also has to do with the heavy losses that Russia has suffered so far in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
pressure on Germany
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba, who was invited as a guest, put pressure on the NATO states and Germany in particular. He said the best way to help Ukraine now is to provide the country with everything it needs to put down Russian President Vladimir Putin and defeat the Russian army in Ukraine to stop the war from escalating further. The more and the faster Ukraine gets arms, the more lives will be saved and the fewer cities will be destroyed.
Kuleba criticized that Germany could do more with regard to arms deliveries “given its reserves and capacities”. You work together with the German government. The problem that worries him most is the length of the procedures and decision-making in Berlin. “While Berlin has time, Kyiv has none.”
“I came here today to discuss three most important things: guns, guns and guns,” Kuleba wrote in advance on Twitter. The supply routes must also be secured, there must be “long-term solutions”.
Met with Secretary General @jensstoltenberg at NATO HQ in Brussels. I came here today to discuss three most important things: weapons, weapons, and weapons. Ukraine’s urgent needs, the sustainability of supplies, and long-term solutions which will help Ukraine to prevail. pic.twitter.com/247GdqdPwj
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 7, 2022
Kuleba called hypocritical countries that wanted to make a distinction between the delivery of so-called offensive and defensive weapons. “Weapons serve peace today,” he said.
Stoltenberg also took the view that the distinction between offensive weapons and defensive weapons, which was repeatedly made in Germany, for example, was irrelevant in the case of a defensive war.
There were initially no details on the planned new arms deliveries from NATO countries on Thursday – probably also to leave Russia in the dark about which additional systems its armed forces could soon have to deal with. Stoltenberg spoke only of “lighter and heavier weapons” and named air defense systems and anti-tank weapons as examples.
Kuleba said his country needs aircraft, anti-ship missiles, armored vehicles and heavy air defense systems. The latter should include, for example, S-300, which could be delivered from Slovakia.
Baerbock announced an informal working meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin in May to discuss further how to deal with Russia’s war against Ukraine. It should also be about strengthening the defense capabilities of the alliance states and about better protection of the south-eastern flank of the alliance.
Baerbock showed understanding for the pressure from Ukraine on Germany and other countries. She pointed out that every day citizens of Ukraine woke up and went to bed with horrific images. In the country, even families and old and young people were “bombed, shot, murdered in cold blood”.
Selenski calls for sanctions
Russia is currently concentrating its troops in eastern and southern Ukraine after forces withdrew from the greater Kyiv area. The government in Kyiv now fears a large-scale offensive in Donbass in the east of the country.
The democratic world must stop buying Russian oil and gas, Zelenskiy said in a video speech.
(Photo: dpa)
According to British intelligence, heavy artillery shelling and air raids broke out again in the area on Thursday. Stoltenberg had promised that NATO would use the time the Russian units were being reorganized to supply Ukraine with the appropriate weapons.
Ukraine is not part of the military alliance, but nevertheless took part in the discussions in Brussels. Also invited were the non-members Finland and Sweden as well as Australia, Georgia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called for further sanctions against Russia, which should be so crippling that the government in Moscow would be forced to end the war. The democratic world must stop buying Russian oil and gas, Zelenskiy said in a video speech.
The government in Kyiv fears a large-scale offensive in Donbass in the east of the country.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
Russian banks would also have to be completely excluded from the international financial system. According to a spokesman, Selenski will receive EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv on Friday.
Moscow continues to deny allegations
It still seems as if economic prosperity is more important to the West than the prosecution of war crimes, Zelensky said, referring to the events in Bucha. He also has information that the Russians have changed their tactics and are now making civilian victims disappear so as not to leave any traces of war crimes, Zelensky said, without presenting any evidence.
Other recent reports on the war:
The government in Moscow denies the killing of civilians and accuses Ukraine of having fabricated events in order to provoke further sanctions against Russia and to torpedo ongoing talks between the two sides.
Since the Russian war of aggression began six weeks ago, more than four million people have fled abroad and thousands have been killed or injured. A quarter of Ukrainians have lost their homes, several cities have been destroyed.
The West has also reacted with severe sanctions against the Russian elites. The European Union is about to adopt a fifth tightening of sanctions. “Maybe this afternoon, tomorrow at the latest,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Among other things, it provides for a stop to coal imports from Russia. The government in Moscow has forbidden to speak of a “war”. She calls the operation either a “special operation” or a “peace mission”.
More: Read the current developments in the Ukraine war in the live blog