“Recent heavy armament pledges are significant – and I expect there will be more in the near future,” said Jens Stoltenberg.
By AFP
LNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that Ukraine could expect new deliveries of heavy weapons from its Western allies “in the near future”.
“Recent heavy armament pledges are significant – and I expect there will be more in the near future,” Jens Stoltenberg told the German daily Handelsblatt.
He was speaking before a new coordination meeting, on January 20, of Western countries providing aid to Ukraine, at the American base in Ramstein, Germany. “We are in a decisive phase of the war,” Mr. Stoltenberg continued. “Also, it is important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win.”
Western nations have long been reluctant to deliver heavier weaponry to Ukraine, citing fears of being drawn into war or provoking Russia.
The range of weapons they provide him has now expanded. At the beginning of the month, France, Germany and the United States promised to send armored vehicles carrying infantry or reconnaissance tanks – 40 German Marders, 50 American Bradleys and French AMX-10 RCs.
The United Kingdom announced to him on Saturday that it would deliver Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, thus becoming the first country to supply heavy tanks of Western construction to kyiv. Moscow denounced a decision that would only “escalate” the conflict.
According to the Secretary General of NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a mistake by attacking Ukraine. “He overestimated the strength of his own armed forces. We see their missteps, their lack of morale, their leadership issues, their poor equipment,” he said.
But the Russians “have demonstrated that they are ready to endure heavy losses to achieve their goal”, he added.
