NATO chief calls for more arms for Ukraine to help it ‘prevail’ against Russia

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg had called on members of the military alliance to supply more weapons to Ukraine, saying it is in their “security interests” to make sure Kiev prevails in the protracted war against Russia.

In an interview with the German news agency DPA on Friday, Stoltenberg renewed calls for support to the beleaguered government in Ukraine.

“I call on allies to do more. It is in all our security interests to make sure Ukraine prevails and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not win,” he said.

He went on to say that it may be more important that Ukraine receives enough ammunition for existing systems, stressing that the need for ammunition and spare parts is “enormous”.

His remarks came a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed some Western leaders and asked for more weapons and air defense systems to help his country counter attacks from Moscow.

Following his visit to Washington, his first overseas trip since the beginning of the war in February, the United States announced nearly $2 billion in additional military aid, including the Patriot air defense system, which provides protection against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles.

Stoltenberg told DPA that military support for Ukraine was the “fastest way to peace”.

“We know that most wars end at the negotiating table – probably this war too – but we know that what Ukraine can achieve in these negotiations depends inextricably on the military situation,” he said.

UK considers 2.3bn pounds for aid to Ukraine in 2023

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday that Britain will provide 23 billion pounds ($2.77 billion) in aid to Ukraine in 2023, adding that part of the aid is non-military and humanitarian.

“From the financial year 2023, we’ll put in another 2.3 billion (pounds),” Wallace told reporters when asked about his country’s aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, tensions between the warring sides in Ukraine continue to heighten amid attacks from both Moscow and Kiev.

The Kiev military announced on Friday that Russia launched 16 drones into Ukraine in an overnight operation, which it said were destroyed by air defenses.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, said on his Telegram channel that seven drones had been aimed at the capital and that five were destroyed within the city and two before reaching Kyiv.

Russia has denied remarks made by Ukrainian authorities that it is targeting civilian infrastructure, saying its forces only target military-linked facilities.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that any proposal to end the war must take into account “today’s realities,” in reference to four former Ukrainian regions that joined the Russian union recently.

Russia’s war on Ukraine started in late February, with Moscow saying that it was aimed at defending the pro-Russia population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against alleged persecution by Kiev.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the time that the offensive was meant to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.

Despite warnings by Moscow that it will only prolong the war, the Western countries, including the US and the UK, continue to supply weapons to Kiev.