NATO defence ministers gathered in Brussels on Thursday to discuss their support for Ukraine amid advancing Russian forces, AP News reported.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who chairs Thursday’s meeting, said that Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) need long-term predictability on the types of weapons, ammunition and assets they can expect to receive. Stoltenberg said at the doorstep:
“We will address the urgent needs for more supplies, weapons of air defence, of ammunition. I expect that the NATO ministers will agree a plan for NATO security assistance and training for Ukraine. And we will also discuss a long-term financial pledge that I expect allied leaders will agree at the NATO summit in July.”
He recalled that earlier this year, delays in military support from the US and some European allies made the difference on the battlefield and allowed Russian forces to gain an advantage on more land in Ukraine.
Asked about Hungary’s position on the conflict in Ukraine, the alliance chief said the country would not participate in financial commitments but would not prevent allies from moving forward with the plan. Hungary will continue to fulfil its other commitments to NATO, Stoltenberg stressed. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, for his part, said: “I asked the Secretary-General to make it clear that all military action outside NATO territory can only be voluntary in nature, according to NATO rules and our traditions.”
In addition, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said his country would send 2,300 rocket engines to Ukraine and that another 80,000 units were being tested: “Pending the results of those tests, we intend to ship more packages of these motors to our Ukrainian partners in the future.”
However, no progress has been made in tracking the Patriot guided missile weapon systems that Ukraine so desperately needs and has been requesting for months. A key advantage of the US-made systems is that Ukrainian soldiers are trained to use them.
Stoltenberg expressed hope that Biden and his colleagues would agree in Washington to maintain the level of funding for military support. He estimated that this equipment is worth about 40 billion euros ($43 billion) a year.
The ministers are meeting for two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels as part of the latest high-level talks ahead of a summit hosted by US President Joe Biden in Washington July 9-11, where the military organisation’s leaders will expectedly announce financial support for Ukraine.
