Ukraine’s armed forces are running low on ammunition and the country’s main allies are worried about the prospect of Kiev being unable to continue defending itself against forces wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
G7 foreign ministers meeting on the Italian island of Capri called for stronger support, and German Foreign Minister Analena Berbok said that Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defenses. On the other side of the world in Dallas, the CIA director called the situation dire and warned that Ukraine could lose out by the end of the year – ahead of news from Congress of nearly $61 billion in new US aid to Ukraine. More: Budanov: In May, we will face a difficult situation, but not Armageddon
“There is a very real risk that the Ukrainians will lose the war on the battlefield by the end of 2024. Or, at the very least, that Putin will be in a position where he can essentially dictate the terms of a political settlement,” Burns told a leadership forum on The George W. Bush Center.
Ukraine is desperately trying to repel the Russian attack amid a shortage of ammunition. President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Ukraine to be equipped with sufficient air defense systems as Kremlin forces took advantage of Ukraine’s weakness and stepped up missile attacks on power plants, power grids and residential areas across the country.
“Western countries, Japan, Canada, the United States, Europe must take decisions more quickly to increase their support for Ukraine because we cannot allow Putin to win,” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, told the meeting of G-7. “Concrete decisions need to be made to send more air defense systems to Ukraine.” More: Norway allocates billions for Ukraine’s air defense
Air Defense for Ukraine
Leaders of the G7 Group held in-depth discussions on strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses. At a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, the State Secretary Anthony Blinken announced a list of countries with which it is negotiating for aid.
Blinken also shared with his G7 colleagues the US view that Chinese companies have provided Russia with resources that have helped it rebuild and expand its military industrial base. This stems from analysis of battlefield projectile fragments and key technological components obtained from Chinese companies.
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reported that EU leaders plan to send 7 additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine amid increased missile attacks and Russian drone strikes. More: Military spending in the world is growing at a breakneck pace and has reached 2.5 trillion dollars
“We express our determination, in particular, to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, as this is the best way to save lives and protect key infrastructure. We also intend to work with partners in this direction,” is the G-7 message
At the European Council meeting in Brussels, some condemned what they saw as a widening gap between words and deeds. “If all the words spoken in recent years here in Brussels about common defense could be replaced by bullets and rocket launchers,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on the X social network, “Europe would become the most powerful nation in the world”: The EU is pushing Greece and Spain to supply Ukraine with air defense systems
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke a day after Russia’s missile attack on Chernihiv, 127 kilometers north of Kiev, killed at least 18 people and injured more than 77. It was one of the deadliest attacks on residential areas since the start of hostilities.
“We cannot tolerate a situation where Russia outguns Ukraine as it is now. The Russians are firing, but the Ukrainians have limited resources and cannot return fire,” Stoltenberg told reporters.
Kurzha – help is coming
However, all this received a new reading after the House of Representatives in Congress finally voted a common package of 4 bills military and financial aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and American national security. More: Destruction of the Russian army with only 3% of the US military budget: Data from a US senator
“In these tumultuous times, signals from the United States, especially from Republicans, that support for Ukraine will resolutely continue is an encouraging sign,” Berbock said.
Zelensky has been urging his partners for months to replenish the dwindling arsenals of ammunition his country needs to fend off Russian attacks. According to him, Russia now outnumbers Ukraine in terms of battlefield artillery by a ratio of 10:1, Bloomberg recalls.
After renewed requests from Ukrainian officials, Germany promised to donate additional Patriot systems, but was also called upon to provide a number of other air defense systems, notably the Samp/T, NASAM, Hawk and Iris -T.
In a letter to NATO allies, Berbock and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said recent Russian strikes on key energy infrastructure had caused more damage than in the winter of 2022. “Given the situation facing Ukraine, this is an urgent matter,” they commented on the aid. More: Hybrid air defense systems for Ukraine: the US tested them and is satisfied (VIDEO)
“The situation is very, very serious and we have to send them what they want, namely ammunition and air defense systems,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas told reporters at the summit. “We simply cannot allow Ukraine to lose or the security situation in Europe to be threatened.”
Translation: Gancho Kamenarski
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