Nato to help Ukraine with transition to Western weapons

BRUSSELS • A Nato summit in Madrid later this month is expected to agree on an assistance package that will help Ukraine with the move from old Soviet-era weaponry to Nato standard gear, the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday.

"It is very much about enabling the Ukrainians to transition from Soviet-era, from old equipment to more modern Nato standard equipment," he told reporters ahead of a meeting of Nato's defence ministers in Brussels.

Mr Stoltenberg is urging Western countries to send Ukraine more heavy weaponry as it battles Russia's advance in the east of the country.

"Yes, Ukraine should have more heavy weapons," he said after meeting the leaders of seven North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.

He said Nato was already "stepping up" deliveries. "Because they absolutely depend on that to be able to stand up against the brutal Russian invasion," he added.

Ukraine has repeatedly begged for heavy weapons from the West, criticising some European leaders for failing to deliver arms that it says it needs to push back Moscow's forces.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Danish premier Mette Frederiksen were hosting Mr Stoltenberg and the leaders of Poland, Romania, Latvia, Portugal and Belgium ahead of a crunch Nato summit in Madrid at the end of this month.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lamented that the West was "not doing enough" to support Ukraine. "We have not done enough to defend Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian people, to support their freedom and sovereignty," he told reporters.

"And this is why I urge you, I ask you, to do much more to deliver weapons, artillery to Ukraine. They need this to defend their country."

Western countries would have no "credibility" if Ukraine lost against Russia, he said. "This would be a complete failure and disaster of the European Union, of our values and of Nato."

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Anna Malyar said on Tuesday that Ukraine has received just 10 per cent of the weapons pledged by the West to help Kyiv to fight off the Russian offensive. "From what we said we need, we got about 10 per cent," she said in televised remarks, saying the West should speed up its delivery schedule.

"No matter how hard Ukraine tries, no matter how professional our army is, without the help of Western partners we will not be able to win this war," she said.

"We can't wait very long, because the situation is very complicated," she added.

Mr Stoltenberg said beyond helping Ukraine with more modern weapons, Nato will be looking at an "even higher readiness" and strengthening its weapons capabilities along its eastern border.

"In Madrid, we will agree a major strengthening of our posture," he said.

"Tonight, we discussed the need for more robust and combat-ready forward presence and an even higher readiness and more pre-positioned equipment and supplies."

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE