Nato defense ministers to discuss arms for Ukraine

BRussels—the West must step up weapons deliveries to ukraine and prove its commitment to helping the country’s military fight along a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line in a grinding war of attrition with Russia, us Defense secretary Lloyd austin said Wednesday.

Opening a meeting in Brussels on supporting ukraine, austin urged more than 45 participating nations to demonstrate “our unwavering determination to get ukraine the capabilities that it urgently needs to defend itself.”

“We must intensify our shared commitment to ukraine’s self-defense, and we must push ourselves even harder to ensure that ukraine can defend itself, its citizens and its territory,” he said.

The meeting, also attended by ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, came on the opening day of a a two-day gathering of Nato defense ministers at the alliance’s headquarters.

increased arms supplies can’t come soon enough for the ukrainian forces battling to keep Russia from taking control of their country’s industrial east after more than 3½ months of war.

in his nightly address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded Tuesday for more and faster deliveries of Western arms, specifically asking for anti-missile defense systems.

austin told the Brussels meeting he was grateful for all the military aid the nations already have shipped or pledged to ukraine, but cautioned that “we can’t afford to let up and we can’t lose steam. The stakes are too high.”

The formal Nato meeting was set to open later Wednesday with a dinner where ministers also will discuss sweden and Finland’s applications to join the transatlantic military alliance.

The meeting, less two weeks before a summit of Nato leaders in Madrid, comes with Kyiv imploring the West to send more and heavier weapons to help fend off Russia’s onslaught in eastern ukraine.

“allies are committed to continue providing the military equipment that ukraine needs to prevail, including heavy weapons and long-range systems,” stoltenberg said.

He added that Zelenskyy would be invited to address the June 29-30 Madrid summit, either in person or by videoconference.

ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Tuesday that the invaded nation’s military had received only around 10 percent of the Western weapons it had requested “to create parity with the Russian army.”