Kiev’s allies meet in Germany to coordinate military aid
Ukraine’s allies are meeting in Germany this Friday to coordinate their military aid to Kiev, which is said to be preparing a major counteroffensive. The meeting, organized by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the US Ramstein base in southern Germany, will also be attended by the NATO chief, who has just returned from Kiev. Jens Stoltenberg spoke there on Thursday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly called on Westerners to deliver more armaments, artillery, ammunition, but also fighter jets and long-haul aircraft in order to hit Russian camps far behind the front lines.
Between insufficient inventories, fears of escalation, and logistical problems, Europeans and Americans were more cautious than Kiev would like. Mr. Zelensky urged Mr. Stoltenberg to help him “overcome the reluctance [ses] partners regarding the supply of certain weapons”.
The delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine is primarily dividing Kiev’s supporters, with Germany being particularly reticent. Slovakia and Poland have started delivering Soviet-designed Mig-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Warsaw said it was ready to donate all of its combat units, about thirty.
But the dispatch of modern Western aircraft has yet to be discussed. Several countries have announced openings, a decision is possible “before the summer”, the Danish defense minister recently confirmed. This will be one of the topics on the menu for the Ramstein discussions, which will bring together representatives from around fifty countries.
Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Kiev was also an opportunity for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to urge NATO to invite his country to join the Atlantic Alliance. For his part, Mr. Stoltenberg reiterated the Alliance’s support for Ukraine’s ambitions, but said nothing about the timetable, believing that the priority should be winning the war.
“Ukraine’s future lies in the Euro-Atlantic family, Ukraine’s future lies in NATO. At the same time, the main goal of the alliance and its members is to ensure that Ukraine wins,” the official noted. Fundamentally favorable for the integration of this country, NATO, on the other hand, is very vague about the deadlines, joining the organization risks escalating the conflict, because Russia sees such an expansion as a red line.