President visited Nato headquarters to bolster support for Kyiv amid fears of dwindling weapons deliveries as result of Middle East conflict
By Joe Barnes, BRUSSELS CORRESPONDENT
11 October 2023
Volodymyr Zelensky said he had received assurances from Washington that military aid to Ukraine will remain “constant and uninterrupted” after his first visit to Nato’s headquarters.
Following a meeting in Brussels with Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, the Ukrainian president said: “It was made clear that America will continue to provide Ukraine with the constant and uninterrupted support necessary for its defence.”
Mr Zelensky arrived in Brussels unannounced to shore up support for Kyiv amid fears weapons deliveries would dwindle as the conflict in the Middle East continues.
“We need air defence, artillery and ammunition,” Mr Zelensky said as he arrived at a meeting of Nato defence ministers. “We need to push Russia out of our land.”
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, sought to reassure the war-time leader at the start of the two-day meeting, insisting: “Your fight is our fight, your security is our security, and your values are our values.”
But when asked later whether Kyiv was concerned Western support could be diverted to Israel, the Ukrainian president said: “Of course, everybody’s afraid.”
“Who knows how it will be,” he added. “I think nobody knows.”
Earlier he warned a shift in aid priorities would have “consequences” for Ukraine and the West.
Following the terror attack on Israel over the weekend, the US announced it would rush ammunition and air defence systems to bolster its fight against Hamas.
Washington has insisted it has sufficient resources to support both Israel and Ukraine in the defence of their territories.
Nato allies also brushed off suggestions the war in Israel would see much-needed deliveries of military aid to Ukraine dwindle.
Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch defence minister, told The Telegraph: “The war in Ukraine is not only about Ukraine, it’s not some regional conflict that we can either be interested in or turn our backs to, we cannot do that. It’s too important.”
She said members of the alliance had collectively ramped up their defence spending to ensure they could cope in a “world where we have to be able to deal with several issues at the same time”.
“We’re here to deliver what it takes for as long as it takes so that Ukraine can live in freedom,” Mr Austin told Mr Zelensky as he opened a meeting on support for the country.
‘We need more to survive winter’
Mr Zelensky told his country’s allies he would need more air defence, long-range missiles and artillery to “survive this next winter”, with Russia already ramping up a campaign to target its heating and energy infrastructure.
Ahead of the meeting, Britain, Germany and the US announced they would accelerate the delivery of surface-to-air systems.
The US announced a new $200 million aid package, including Aim-9m air defence missiles, Himars rockets and 155mm artillery shells.
Britain pledged more than £100 million to deliver mine clearance hardware to the front line, as well as the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin air defence system and counter-drone equipment.
Germany provided a €1 billion winter package of air defence, including an additional Patriot battery, an Iris-T system and a Gerard anti-aircraft tank.
Belgium also announced its plans to donate F-16 fighter jets as part of an international coalition to deliver aircraft to Ukraine.
As he received offers of aid, Mr Zelensky emphasised that it was important for the West to demonstrate to Israel it is not alone as it faces down Hamas terrorists, whose attack he compared to Russian aggression.
“Go to Israel on the ground and support people there,” he told reporters.
“We need air defence, artillery and ammunition,” Mr Zelensky said as he arrived at a meeting of Nato defence ministers. “We need to push Russia out of our land.”
Amen to that.
There should be only one reply to that :
“You got it Zel. We will ensure the COMPLETE liberation of your land and make the aggressors pay.”
From AP:
“WARSAW, Poland (AP) — British musician Sting interrupted a concert in Warsaw on Saturday evening to warn his audience that democracy is under attack worldwide and to denounce the war in Ukraine as “an absurdity based upon a lie.”
He asked a popular Polish actor, Maciej Stuhr, to come onstage to translate his warning that democracy is “in grave danger of being lost unless we defend it.”
“The alternative to democracy is a prison, a prison of the mind. The alternative to democracy is violence, oppression, imprisonment and silence,” Sting said and then ran his hand across his neck in a throat-cutting gesture.
The 70-year-old delivered his message in a country that borders Ukraine, where Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Poland has become the place of refuge for more Ukrainians than any other country.
“The war in the Ukraine is an absurdity based upon a lie. If we swallow that lie, the lie will eat us,” Sting said. He appeared to be referring to justifications Russia has tried to give for its invasion, including a Russian claim that it seeks to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, a democracy led by a Jewish president.
Those in the audience at Warsaw’s National Stadium would have also understand a reference to their own country.
Sting drew strong applause in particular when he said that democracy is something messy and frustrating “but it is still worth fighting for.”
“An absurdity based on a lie.”
That has resonance and can’t be repeated enough.
Great words by Sting!