US believe Ukraine needs weapons: In response to a new Russian offensive around the war’s first anniversary, the United States and the NATO military alliance said on Tuesday that Western backing would not waver. Ukraine urgently needs greater military assistance.
Western defence chiefs were gathering in Brussels to talk about maintaining current supplies, such as shells whose manufacture can’t even keep up with the fight, as well as providing new weapons to Kyiv, which is screaming for more firepower.
At a meeting of the so-called Ramstein group of Ukraine’s allies, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated, “Ukraine has urgent requirements to enable it meet this important time in the course of the war.”
“The Kremlin continues to believe it can hold us off, but a year later, we are still as unified as ever. This unified resolve will support Ukraine’s momentum in the next, important weeks.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, delivered the same statement regarding Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
“We don’t observe any indications that President Putin is gearing up for peace. What we observe is the exact reverse; he is getting ready for more offensives and attacks, as well as more conflict.
“This has turned into a gruelling war of attrition, so it’s also a logistical battle,” When it comes to artillery, we require ammunition, spare parts, maintenance, and all other necessary logistics to make sure we can maintain these weapon systems.
exhausted stocks
After the Ramstein group meeting, the NATO defence ministers were scheduled to meet.
The alliance intends to set more ambitious goals for ammo storage because Kyiv is using up shells much more quickly than Western nations can supply them, severely depleting stockpiles.
In order to resume the production of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft guns it has already provided to Kiev, Germany stated it has signed contracts with the weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall.
It has been looking for replacement ammunition for the rifles that its own military retired in 2010 for months.
A aim for countries to spend 2% of GDP on defence was another topic NATO defence ministers were to consider. Given the conflict in the Ukraine, some countries consider this to be too low, while others, like Germany, are still much below the 2%.