Zelensky appeals for more weapons amid fresh wave of devastating Russian offensives
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President Volodymyr Zelensky is appealing to his allies in the West to augment Ukraine’s air defences.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky joined a meeting of his country’s international backers in Germany on Sept 6, appealing for additional weapons as Kyiv faces advancing Russian forces in the east and devastating strikes by Moscow.
He was also due to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and then head to Italy, following the meeting at Ramstein Air Base, which comes days after 55 people were killed and 300 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava
“We need more weapons to drive Russian forces off our land,” Mr Zelensky said.
He also urged Kyiv’s supporters to follow through on previous commitments, saying: “The number of air defence systems that have not been delivered is significant.”
And he again called for restrictions to be lifted
“We need to have this long-range capability, not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on the Russian territory,” Mr Zelensky said.
The meeting at the base south-west of Frankfurt is being hosted by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who announced that Washington will provide US$250 million (S$325 million) in new military aid for Ukraine.
The package “will surge in more capabilities to meet Ukraine’s evolving requirements”, Mr Austin told the meeting.
The assistance is expected to include ammunition for Himars precision rocket launchers, artillery rounds, anti-tank and anti-air weapons, a US defence official said on condition of anonymity.
The talks in Germany, with representatives from some 50 nations, will focus on areas, including bolstering Ukraine’s air defences and encouraging allies to boost their defence industries, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said ahead of the meeting.
“Ukraine matters to US and international security, and the efforts of (Kyiv’s allies meeting in Ramstein) continue to play a vital role in Ukraine’s fight for freedom and sovereignty,” he said.
The meeting comes as Moscow’s forces advance in the Donbas, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept 5 declaring that capturing the eastern area was his “primary objective”
Since the start of its offensive in February 2022
Uncertainty over Ukraine backing
While Ukraine’s surprise push into Russia’s Kursk region in August caught Russian forces off-guard, Mr Putin stressed that the move failed to slow Moscow’s advance. “The enemy weakened itself in key areas. Our army has accelerated its offensive operations,” he argued.
Ukraine on Sept 6 claimed to have recaptured a part of the eastern Ukrainian town of New York, in the first success for Kyiv on this part of the front for months.
“Thanks to the high morale, courage and professionalism of the brigade’s fighters, Azov managed to stabilise the situation, regain control of part of New York,” the Azov Brigade, which is fighting in the area, said on social media.
Speaking in Oslo on Sept 6, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine needs more military support, and that the “quickest way to end this war is to provide weapons to Ukraine”.
“Putin must realise that he cannot win on the battlefield, but must accept a just and lasting peace where Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation,” he said.
The US has been Ukraine’s biggest backer during the conflict, providing military aid worth more than US$56 billion, according to the Pentagon.
But uncertainty looms over the future of that funding, as a US election in November could see Ukraine-sceptic Donald Trump back in the White House.
Germany, Ukraine’s second-biggest backer, has also come under pressure domestically over its aid for Kyiv, which has been at the centre of a protracted row over the 2025 budget.
France, another of Kyiv’s biggest backers, has also been locked in a political crisis for several weeks.
Ahead of the Ramstein meeting, Britain said it would send Kyiv 650 lightweight missiles before the end of 2024 to boost Ukraine’s air defence capabilities.
And German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced on the sidelines of the meeting that his country would provide 12 artillery pieces valued at €150 million (S$217 million) to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s allies in Europe have moved to expand their own defences in response to the increased threat from Russia.
Germany’s military put a first Iris-T air-defence system into service on its own soil on Sept 4, having delivered several of them to Ukraine to intercept Russian rockets, drones and missiles. AFP
