Kyiv clamors for fighter jets as war nears ‘critical’ phase

Ukraine on Tuesday renewed its appeal to Western countries for fighter jets to help frustrate Moscow’s invasion, as senior defense officials from the United States and its NATO allies said the war with Russia is approaching a critical stage.

With the war set to enter its second year at the end of next week, the Ukraine contact group met at NATO headquarters in Brussels and Ukraine made its requirements clear.

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, when asked what military aid his country is seeking now, showed reporters an image of a fighter jet.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed hard for combat planes last week when he visited London, Paris and Brussels on just his second foreign trip since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. His plea came days after Western allies pledged to provide Kyiv with tanks.

Moscow’s forces have been pressing in the east of Ukraine while bolstering their defensive lines in the south. The war has been largely static during the winter months, though both sides are expected to launch offensives when the weather improves.

Putin was hoping Western support for Kyiv would fizzle out, allowing him to charge ahead, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the meeting.

But Austin said the contact group would “help Ukraine hold an advance during the spring counteroffensive” and would keep planning for Kyiv’s long-term needs.

“Today’s meeting comes at a critical time,” Austin said. “The Kremlin is still betting that it can wait us out.”

NATO Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, asked when he expects Russia’s so-called spring offensive to begin, said that “the reality is that we have seen the start already.”

“For me, this just highlights the importance of timing. It’s urgent to provide Ukraine with more weapons,” he told reporters in Brussels.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: Russia on Tuesday angrily rejected the Moldovan president’s claims about an alleged plot by Moscow to overthrow her government and accused Moldovan authorities of trying to distract public attention away from the country’s own domestic problems.

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said Monday that the purported Russian plot envisioned attacks on government buildings, hostage-takings and other violent actions by groups of saboteurs in order to put the nation “at the disposal of Russia” and derail its hopes to join the European Union.

OLIVIER MATTHYS/AP This is what we want: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov shows a handkerchief with the image of a fighter jet prior to the North Atlantic Council round table meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on Tuesday.