BRUSSELS — Several countries announced new military aid packages to Ukraine on Thursday, a day before their defense ministers gathered at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to coordinate help for Ukraine.
The meeting in Germany will include officials from about 50 countries, chaired by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and will focus on how to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs, including including advanced Western tanks, to try to push Russian troops out of occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine and some of its allies have put pressure on Germany to supply or allow exports of advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but Berlin specifically wants Washington to participate in the collective decision to send Western tanks.
To take a giant leap in the Ramstein rally, the British Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, and his Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, held a meeting of their colleagues from the Baltics and Central Europe at a conference room. military base in Estonia to announce more military aid to Ukraine.
Some of the contributions listed in the so-called Tallinn Pledge – also signed by Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia – have been announced, including commitments by English for send Challenger 2 . tank. Others seem new, including another batch of British Brimstone missiles and an S-60 anti-aircraft gun with 70,000 rounds from Poland.
The countries indicated in a joint statement that they have committed to “jointly pursue the delivery of an unprecedented range of donations” to support Ukraine.
“Together, we will continue to assist Ukraine in its transition from resistance to the expulsion of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory,” the statement said.
Western officials say that Ukraine has only a narrow window of time before an anticipated Russian spring offensive, and they have work to accelerate heavy, sophisticated weapons to Kyiv.
In Brussels, following a meeting of NATO’s top defense officials known as the Military Commission, its Chairman, Admiral Rob Bauer of the Netherlands, and the top American officer in Europe, General Christopher G. Cavoli, says that tank quality is important to Ukraine as part of what they call “the balance of all systems”.
“There is no specific weapon system that is a silver bullet,” General Cavoli said. “Ultimately, the attack simply strikes a balance between firepower, mobility, and protection,” and tanks can play an important role in military success.
The officers were careful to say that individual countries were making their own decisions about supplying Ukraine with specific weapons systems, but they made it clear that the Russians were rebuilding their military arsenals. themselves.
Admiral Bauer said: “In a war like this, every kind of equipment is needed. “And the Russians are fighting with tanks. So the Ukrainians also need tanks.”
Details of new weapons aid have begun to emerge ahead of the Ramstein meeting, including US plans for a $2.5 billion package that includes nearly 100 Stryker combat vehiclesand a commitment from Sweden to supply NLAW anti-tank missiles and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles in biggest equipment package hitherto.
Estonia said the aid package it announced on Thursday as part of the Tallinn Pledge is also the largest military aid package to Ukraine, including long-range firepower and anti-tank weapons as well as ammunition worth a total of 10 million euros. plus 113 million euros, or about 122 million dollars. Military assistance to Ukraine will increase to 370 million euros, or more than 1% of Estonia’s gross domestic product.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in a statement: “The free world must continue to provide arms support to Ukraine on a much greater scale and speed.” “All countries must look at their stockpiles and make sure that industries can produce more and faster.”
