NATO members continue Wednesday in Brussels their discussions to accelerate their deliveries of armaments and ammunition to Ukraine, which insists on also receiving combat planes in order to better resist the Russian invasion.
"The priority, the urgency, is to provide the Ukrainians with the armaments that have been promised to them to maintain their ability to defend themselves", insisted Tuesday Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the Alliance, before the start of this meeting of two days of the "Ramstein group".
All decisions on arms shipments to Ukraine are taken within this body constituted and chaired by the United States, in which some fifty countries participate, and which usually holds its meetings at the American base in Ramstein in Germany.
The meeting in Brussels, which began on Tuesday, continues on Wednesday. "Tomorrow's program is just as busy. We will devote more time to tanks," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Facebook on Tuesday evening.
"We will provide the Ukrainians with the means to hold out and advance during the spring counter-offensive," assured US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. He insisted on artillery, anti-aircraft defense and armour, but did not mention combat aircraft in the planned arms deliveries.
"Combat planes are not the most urgent issue but a discussion is underway," assured Jens Stoltenberg.
In Brussels, Mr. Reznikov insisted in his own way on this request for fighter planes for kyiv by smoothing out in front of the cameras a scarf worn in a pocket on which one of these aircraft was drawn.
"He is in his role but the Ukrainians know very well that it will take at least a year to get them," said one of the participants.
"Everyone understands that the issue of air defense and the issue of ammunition resupply are much more important at the moment than the discussion about combat aircraft," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
Several announcements were made on Tuesday, including that of the supply of a Mamba air defense system (SAM-T), the equivalent of the Patriot, by France and Italy. A weapon worth 500 million euros.
France will also produce 155mm shells with Australia, and the AMX-10 armored vehicles promised to Ukraine will be delivered in the coming days. The Pentagon announced a $552 million contract with two arms companies to produce 155mm shells for kyiv. The first deliveries are expected in March.
Germany has reported the relaunch of a production line of ammunition for Gepard air defense tanks. According to the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the first contract is for 300,000 munitions to be delivered to kyiv from July.
"This is a war of attrition and a logistical battle," Stoltenberg insisted. Russian President "Vladimir Putin is not preparing for peace. He is preparing for a new offensive, new attacks".
The NATO chief had warned on Monday that Ukraine was using more ammunition than the Alliance could produce. "This is depleting our stocks and putting our defense industries under pressure," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on Tuesday evening on the need for rapid arms deliveries to his country, as Russian military pressure is growing in the east.
"Ukraine and its partners are doing everything together for the terrorist state to lose. And for this to happen as soon as possible," he said, referring to agreements for "more air defense systems, more tanks, more artillery and shells".
These Ukrainian demands are becoming more insistent at a time when Russian troops are gradually advancing in the east and in particular north of Bakhmout, the epicenter of the clashes for several months.
Fierce fighting continues around this fortress city, an AFP team noted on Tuesday.
"Bakhmut will not be taken tomorrow, because there is a strong resistance, a shelling, the meat grinder is in action", admitted the head of the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner, Evguéni Prigojine, whose men are in front line in this battle.
Mr Zelensky spoke on Tuesday of an "extremely difficult" situation in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, where soldiers are fighting "for every meter of Ukrainian land".
15/02/2023 08:19:00 - Bruxelles (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
