The US and nine European nations promise more firepower ahead of a major donor conference on Friday.
Image source, Getty ImagesMore countries have answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to send further arms to Ukraine.
Several European nations promised new military aid packages following a meeting on Thursday at Tapa Army Base in Estonia.
The UK said a further 600 Brimstone missiles will be donated to Ukraine as it attempts to repel the Russian army.
The announcement comes ahead of a crunch meeting on Friday involving 50 countries to co-ordinate arms supplies.
Representatives from 11 nations met near Tallinn on Thursday to discuss a range of new packages to help Ukraine recapture territory and fend off any further Russian advances.
Nine countries – the UK, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, the Netherlands and Slovakia – promised more support.
The packages announced in a joint statement include:
- UK – 600 Brimstone missiles
- Denmark – 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers
- Estonia – howitzers, ammunition, support vehicles and anti-tank grenade launchers
- Latvia – Stinger air-defence systems, two helicopters, and drones
- Lithuania – anti-aircraft guns and two helicopters
- Poland – S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition
- Czech Republic – produce further large calibre ammunition, howitzers and APCs
The Netherlands will announce its package of support on Friday.
Speaking during his visit to Estonia, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “In 2023, it is time to turn the momentum that the Ukrainians have achieved in pushing back Russia into gains and… push them back out of Ukraine and to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty, which is their right under international law.”
Image source, Reuters
A meeting of the Ukraine Defence Group, made up of key allies including the US, will convene at Ramstein air base in Germany on Friday to discuss further military support.
President Zelensky said he expected “strong decisions” on further arms exports to be made at that meeting, including a “powerful military support package” from the US.
The talks are likely to focus on the question of whether to send heavy tanks, and crucially who will supply them. Despite the billions of dollars pledged in new weapons by Western allies on Thursday, this question remains unanswered.
Ukraine is asking for German-made Leopard tanks to be sent to the front line.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is coming under increasing international and domestic pressure to supply them, or at least approve their delivery by third countries.
Poland and Finland have both promised to send their Leopards – but need Germany’s permission, as the manufacturing country, to do so.
Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said he was “moderately pessimistic” about Germany giving permission to re-export Leopards to Ukraine.
And President Zelensky has also addressed Germany’s reluctance.
“Now we are waiting for a decision from one European capital that will activate the prepared chains of co-operation on tanks,” he said on Thursday evening.
A government source in Berlin told Reuters it is yet to receive a request from any country to re-export their tanks.
The UK was the first nation to offer tanks to Ukraine when it promised to send 14 British army Challenger 2s.