NATO chief hints at more heavy weapons deliveries to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has hailed recent pledges of heavy weapons deliveries from Western allies to Ukraine, saying he expected more “in the near future”.

The head of the transatlantic military alliance made the comments on Sunday, a day after a wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine again targeted critical infrastructure and left at least 30 people dead after a residential building was hit in the east-central city of Dnipro.

“The recent pledges for heavy warfare equipment are important — and I expect more in the near future,” Stoltenberg told Germany’s Handelsblatt daily ahead of a meeting on Friday of defence officials from the bloc meant to coordinate arms transfers to Kyiv. What NATO refers to as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group is set to hold its third meeting at the US Ramstein Air Base in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday.

Asked whether Germany must also move to provide heavier weapons to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said: “We are in a decisive phase of the war. We are experiencing fierce fighting. Therefore, it is important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win — and to continue as an independent nation.”

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more heavy Western weapons, saying that Russian “terror” could be stopped only on the battlefield.

“What is needed for this? Those weapons that are in the warehouses of our partners,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

He spoke shortly after United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first Western country to supply heavy tanks to Kyiv.

Poland and Finland have also signalled their willingness to provide Ukraine with the German-made Leopard 2 tanks, increasing pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his coalition government.

The trend represents a possible wider shift for European allies, who have resisted directly supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, 2022.

It comes amid Russian claims of its first significant battlefield success after months of losses and stagnation, with Russia’s defence ministry announcing last week that it “completed the liberation” of Soledar, a city close to the transport crossroads of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.

Ukraine has denied the claims and said heavy fighting continued in Soledar. The US-based Institute for the Study of War said on Sunday that “Ukrainian forces are highly unlikely to still hold positions within the settlement of Soledar itself

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed recent pledges of heavy weapons from Western allies to Ukraine, saying he expects more "in the near future".

The head of the transatlantic military alliance said on Sunday, a day after a wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine again targeted critical infrastructure, killing at least 30 after hitting a residential building in the east-central city of Dnipro.

"The recent pledges regarding heavy military equipment are important - and I expect more in the near future," Stoltenberg told Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper ahead of a meeting of defense officials from the bloc on Friday to coordinate arms transfers to Kiev. What NATO calls the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group is scheduled for a third meeting Friday at the U.S. Air Force Base Ramstein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

When asked if Germany must also move to provide Ukraine with heavier weapons, Stoltenberg replied: “We are in a decisive phase of the war. We are going through hard battles. That's why it's important that we give Ukraine the weapons it needs to win - and continue as an independent nation.

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for more heavy Western weapons, saying Russian "terror" can only be stopped on the battlefield.

"What is needed for this? The weapons that are in the warehouses of our partners," Zelenskyy said in his night speech.

He spoke shortly after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, becoming the first Western country to supply heavy tanks to Kyiv.

Poland and Finland have also signaled their willingness to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks, increasing pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his coalition government.

The trend represents a possible broader shift for European allies, who have resisted directly supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

It comes as Russia claimed its first major battlefield success after months of losses and stagnation, with the Russian Defense Ministry announcing last week that it had "completed the liberation" of Soledar, a town near the Bakhmut transport hub in eastern Donetsk region.

Ukraine denied the claims and said heavy fighting was continuing in Soledar.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said on Sunday that “it is highly unlikely that Ukrainian forces will still hold positions in the Soledar settlement itself.

(Credit: Aljazeera )