US, European allies pledge more military firepower for Ukraine - Al Jazeera English

The United States and immoderate of its European allies person announced important caller arms donations to Ukraine, including armoured vehicles and dense weaponry, up of a important gathering connected bolstering the country’s defences astir a twelvemonth aft Russia invaded.

The US said its bundle of subject enactment – which includes armoured unit carriers, aerial defence systems and tens of thousands of rockets and artillery rounds – was worthy immoderate $2.5bn. There volition beryllium 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 90 Stryker Armoured Personnel Carriers, the US Defense Department said successful a connection connected Thursday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was a “significant caller information assistance bundle to assistance Ukraine proceed to support itself against Russia’s brutal war.” The latest bundle brings US subject assistance for Ukraine to immoderate $27.4bn, helium added.

Earlier, the United Kingdom, successful a associated connection with defence ministers and representatives of 9 European countries, said it would nonstop 600 Brimstone missiles to Kyiv, portion Denmark promised 19 French-made Caesar howitzers, and Sweden its Archer artillery system, a modern mobile howitzer Ukraine has been requesting for months.

“We recognise that equipping Ukraine to propulsion Russia retired of its territory is arsenic important arsenic equipping them to support what they already have,” the connection said.

“Together we volition proceed supporting Ukraine to determination from resisting to expelling Russian forces from Ukrainian soil. The caller level of required combat powerfulness is lone achieved by combinations of main conflict vessel squadrons, beneath aerial and rocket defence, operating alongside divisional artillery groups, and further heavy precision fires enabling targeting of Russian logistics and bid nodes successful occupied territory.”

(Al Jazeera)

The announcements came up of a gathering of defence and different officials from immoderate 50 countries, including each 30 members of NATO, astatine the Ramstein Air Base successful Germany to sermon enactment for Kyiv amid brutal battles successful Ukraine’s eastbound and Russia’s continued aerial attacks connected its cities.

Looking up to the German talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said precocious connected Thursday that Kyiv expected “strong decisions” from the meeting.

“We are, successful fact, present waiting for a determination from 1 European capital, which volition activate the prepared chains of practice regarding tanks,” Zelenskyy said successful a video address.

“We are preparing for the Ramstein gathering tomorrow. We are expecting beardown decisions. We are expecting a almighty subject assistance bundle from the United States,” helium added.

Kremlin warnings

Pressure connected Germany to provide its modern Leopard 2 tanks is intensifying, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s authorities truthful acold appearing reluctant to authorise their transportation for fearfulness of provoking Moscow. Germany has veto powerfulness implicit immoderate imaginable transfer.

The Kremlin warned connected Thursday that sending dense weapons susceptible of striking Russian territory would beryllium construed arsenic an escalation.

“Potentially, this is highly dangerous,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It volition mean bringing the struggle to a full caller level which, of course, volition not bode good from the constituent of presumption of planetary and pan-European security.”

Ukraine and Russia person some relied chiefly connected Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which person been destroyed successful their hundreds during the warfare that began connected February 24 past twelvemonth erstwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops crossed the borderline successful what helium continues to telephone a “special subject operation”.

Denmark is among 9 European countries, each NATO members, offering much dense weaponry to Ukraine. The Danes said they would nonstop the Caesar howitzer limb strategy [File: Henning Bagger and Ritzau Scanpix/AFP]

Fearing the colder months volition springiness Russian forces clip to regroup and unleash a important attack, Ukraine has stepped up calls connected its allies to summation assistance.

During his travel to Washington, DC successful December, Zelenskyy told the US Congress that supporting Ukraine was not foundation but an concern successful democracy.

Berlin connected Thursday appeared to permission unfastened the imaginable of allowing allies to proviso Ukraine with the requested tanks, saying the concern would “become wide successful the adjacent fewer hours oregon time morning”.

Lithuania’s defence minister, Arvydas Anusauskas, told the AFP quality bureau that “some countries volition send” Leopard tanks to Ukraine, promising “more quality tomorrow” astatine the talks.

Ukraine’s Western allies person been reluctant to transportation heavier weapons to debar NATO appearing to face Russia directly, but officials successful Kyiv accidental tanks are important if Ukraine is to recapture onshore occupied by the Russians and support itself from further attacks.

“From Washington to London, from Paris to Warsaw, you perceive 1 thing: Ukraine needs tanks. Tanks are the cardinal to ending the warfare properly. It is clip to halt trembling earlier Putin and instrumentality the last step,” Zelenskyy advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said successful a tweet.

Meanwhile, CIA Director William Burns travelled successful concealed to Kyiv to conscionable Zelenskyy, a US authoritative told the Reuters quality bureau connected Thursday, declining to accidental erstwhile the sojourn took place.

The Washington Post, which archetypal reported Burns’s trip, said the CIA manager was successful Ukraine astatine the extremity of past week and briefed Zelenskyy connected however the US sees Russia mounting its subject plans successful the coming weeks and months.

Fighting continued to beryllium astir aggravated successful the eastbound concern portion known arsenic the Donbas, Ukrainian subject officials said connected Thursday night.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russian forces shelled the municipality of Bakhmut, Russia’s main absorption successful the Donetsk province, which combined with the Luhansk state signifier the Donbas region.

Soledar, astir 20 km (12 miles) from Bakhmut, besides came nether fire. Russian forces accidental they power the town, which is renowned for its brackish mines, portion Ukraine says its subject is inactive warring there.

Nearby towns besides were shelled by Russian forces – including Klishchiivka, conscionable southbound of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian subject said. Yevgeny Prigozhin, caput of the Wagner Russian mercenary army, said his forces person taken power of Klishchiivka, a assertion contested by Ukraine.