BRUSSELS: President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies on Wednesday to arm his country to survive the winter, on his first visit to the alliance’s headquarters since Russia’s all-out invasion.
Zelensky made a plea for air defence, long-range missiles and ammunition in the face of fears that the Hamas attack on Israel could distract key backer the United States from the conflict in his country.
“How to survive during this next winter for us is big,” Zelensky said as he addressed the media with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg before meeting alliance defence ministers. “We are preparing, we are ready. Now we need some support from the leaders.
That’s why I’m here today.”
Zelensky later announced he had received assurances from Washington that military aid to Ukraine would remain “constant and uninterrupted”.
“It was made clear that America will continue to provide Ukraine with the constant and uninterrupted support necessary for its defence,” he said in his daily address.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had announced a fresh tranche of weaponry for Kyiv worth $200 million, including air defence missiles to help Ukraine stave off an expected winter onslaught by Russia. “Make no mistake,” Austin said, at the start of the meeting with Ukraine’s international backers.
“The United States will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
The latest arms package from Washington is the first announced since turmoil in the US Congress cast doubt on the ability of President Joe Biden to maintain support.
The Ukrainian president has more recently expressed worries that the crisis in Israel could deflect attention from the war unleashed in his homeland by Russian President Vladimir Putin almost 600 days ago. “Who knows how it will be? I think nobody knows,” Zelensky said. But Austin insisted that “the United States will remain able to project power and to direct resources to tackle crises in multiple theatres. – AFP
