Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov personally attended the talks and urged partner countries to hurry ahead of the anniversary of the Russian attack. On Twitter, he called on the allies, among other things, to quickly strengthen the “tank coalition”, more ammunition and faster training for Ukrainian soldiers. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin also warned in Brussels that Ukraine had “urgent needs” at this “critical time in the war”.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized that the weapon systems that have already been delivered must also be ready for use: “We need ammunition, spare parts and maintenance.” There are no signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for peace. Instead he is preparing “for more war, for new offensives and new attacks”. It is therefore even more important that NATO countries and their partners provide more support to Ukraine.
In concrete terms, it is about supplying more ammunition and increasing production capacities – also so that our own stocks can be replenished. In addition, it is urgently necessary to deliver the weapons that have already been promised. Here the Norwegian mentioned the German Marder infantry fighting vehicle, the US Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and main battle tanks such as the German Leopard 2.
Germany wants to produce ammunition again
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Germany will start producing ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank again. “The contracts for the production of cheetah ammunition have been signed,” Pistorius said before the meeting. The ammunition is produced by the Rheinmetall armaments group.
According to Pistorius, the decision was also made to not be dependent on neutral Switzerland. At the same time, he appealed to the German armaments industry to increase production capacities. “There will be no short-term end to the war,” he added.
New commitments from Portugal and Norway
Meanwhile, new commitments have also come from Portugal and Norway. According to the German defense minister, the government in Lisbon wants to provide Ukraine with three tanks of a newer Leopard 2 type. For a small NATO country like Portugal, this is a “reasonable contribution,” said Pistorius.
Shortly thereafter, it was said from Oslo that Norway would deliver eight Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. There would also be spare parts, ammunition and up to four armored vehicles. However, the Ministry of Defense left open when the tanks should be delivered. The situation in Ukraine is approaching a critical phase, the country is dependent on rapid and comprehensive support from the West, it said.
Spain also announced that it would train 55 crew members and technicians from Ukraine on Leopard main battle tanks. The Ukrainians would arrive in Spain by the end of the week, Defense Secretary Margarita Robles said. However, Robles left it open how many tanks Spain will deliver.
Discussion about fighter jets is ongoing
The question of a possible delivery of western F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine remains open even after the recent meeting of the international contact group for the coordination of military aid. When asked if Ukraine’s allies had discussed sending fighter jets to help the country in its war effort, Secretary of Defense Austin said he had “no announcement to make today.” He wanted to leave it at that. Stoltenberg also stated that the discussion was ongoing, but that it was not the most pressing issue.
Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak recalled that the issue of handing over F-16 fighter jets first arose right after the start of the Russian attack. He thinks that, just like on the issue of Leopard tanks or Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, “pressure must be exerted on the allies,” he said. Although Poland has only 48 fighter jets of this type, other allies have a much greater potential.
The Netherlands has already said it will not rule out the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. It is true that the Ukrainians asked their country for F-16s, said Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. We take this wish “very seriously”. At the same time, Ollongren pointed out that the F-16 is a complex weapon system and that the issue must be discussed with partners such as the USA. Fighter jets are not comparable to battle tanks.
Uniform line required
The former head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, has called on NATO to take a unified line in the Ukraine war. “That’s why I think we need a political-strategic contact group to define the western war goals so clearly that we all know – we all know – where we’re going,” he told German RBB Inforadio. For example, the question of whether NATO should encourage Ukraine to recapture Crimea remains open. “There is a wide range of different opinions,” said Ischinger.
NATO accession of Finland and Sweden issue
At the defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Stoltenberg also surprisingly signaled his openness to Sweden and Finland joining NATO separately. The most important question is not whether Turkey will ratify the accession protocols of the two countries together. It is important that both are successful “as soon as possible”. He is confident that will be the case soon. “We’re working hard on it,” he added.
A possible background to Stoltenberg’s statements is the current debate in Finland about whether the country should initially join alone in the event of a continuing Turkish blockade against Sweden joining the alliance. NATO circles said on Tuesday that Finland’s admission was strategically more important than Sweden’s. Unlike Sweden, Finland shares a border with Russia. It is around 1,340 kilometers long.