US, NATO pledge more arms to Ukraine
Ukraine urgently needs more military aid and Western support which will not falter, the United States and NATO pledged yesterday, in the face of a new Russian offensive ahead of the first anniversary of the start of the war.
Western Defence Chiefs were meeting in Brussels to discuss new arms provisions to Kyiv, which is pleading for greater firepower, and maintenance of existing supplies, including shells whose production can hardly keep pace with the war.
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"Ukraine has urgent requirements to help it meet this crucial moment in the course of the war," US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a meeting of the so-called Ramstein group of allies of Ukraine.
Austin said he expected Ukrainian forces to conduct an offensive of their own in the spring, and Kyiv's allies were working to ensure they had the armour, firepower and the logistics to make it effective.
"We believe that there'll be a window of opportunity for them to exercise initiative," Austin said.
"The Kremlin is still betting it can wait us out, but one year on, we are as united as ever.
That shred resolve will help sustain Ukraine's momentum in the crucial weeks ahead".
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave the same message about Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.
"We see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace.
What we see is the opposite, he is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks," he told reporters. Nevertheless, the top US General, Mark Milley, said Russia had already lost in the eyes of the world.
REUTERS