Sawt Falasteen - Ukraine allies vow strong backing at key talks

On the eve of the talks gathering representatives from 50 countries, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to send more fighter jets and long-range missiles to help repel Russian troops.

Zelensky had put his requests directly to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who visited Kyiv before heading to the Ramstein air base for the meeting.

"Our support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine holds strong and true," Austin said, as he began the discussions, a year on after the format gathering defence leaders was started to coordinate aid for Ukraine.

"At today's contact group meeting, we'll focus on three key issues -- air defence, ammunition and enablers," said Austin, referring to logistics and other support.

Zelensky had asked for NATO's help to "overcome the reluctance" of some member states in providing long-range rockets, modern fighter jets and armoured vehicles.

NATO members have sent some Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, but no modern planes such as the US-designed F-16 have been pledged despite Ukraine's requests.

Ukraine's Western supporters have also been reluctant to send long-range rockets because of concerns that Ukraine could use them to hit targets within Russia.

Stoltenberg acknowledged the need to discuss "new platforms" of support with the battle now in its second year. He also underlined the necessity of ensuring that already supplied weapons continued to work.

"I think sometimes we underestimate all the logistics that have to be in place just to have operational battle tank capabilities so maybe it's also a bit more boring but the logistics is extremely important.

"This is now a battle of attrition and a battle of attrition becomes a a war of logistics," said the NATO chief.

- Air defence -

Earlier in the week, Ukraine said it had received from allies the first shipment of Patriots, seen as one of the most advanced US air defence systems.

Germany also delivered a promised Iris-T anti-air missile system.

The kit has been one of Kyiv's key demands from Western allies as it looks to defend itself from Russian missile attacks and roll back Moscow's invasion.

In eastern Ukraine's Lugansk region, AFP saw a group of servicemen using British-supplied artillery.

Several kilometres from Russian positions, they worked the artillery piece dug into the ground.

One hauled shells to the UK-made gun from a nearby cache, while others set coordinates and loaded the barrel before the final order to "Fire!".

"There are the planned targets that we work on. And some appear unexpectedly, for example, to repel an assault when the enemy advances," said Bogdan, a 40-year-old Ukrainian serviceman from the embattled town of Bakhmut.

"The enemy is using few military vehicles. Infantry, which is what the enemy has plenty of, goes forward," he said.

- NATO bid -

During Stoltenberg's visit to Kyiv, the NATO chief was also pressed on allowing Ukraine to join the alliance, but he stressed that that was not the immediate priority.

"All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member, but the main focus now is of course on how to ensure that Ukraine prevails," he said.

"Without a sovereign, independent Ukraine, there is no meaning in discussing membership," he said.

The NATO chief also underlined that the alliance was in on the long-haul with its backing for Ukraine, including a "multi-year programme to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment standards (and) doctrines to NATO standards and doctrines."

"We need to ensure that Ukraine has the military strength ... that deterrence to prevent new attacks because you have to remember that the war didn't start in February" last year but with the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Over a year into its invasion, Russia struck Kyiv with drones overnight in the first such attack for almost a month, although city officials reported no casualties.

Moscow suffered a setback as one of its fighter jets lost munition over Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, after local authorities reported a blast that injured two people and left a huge crater in the Russian city.

The region of Belgorod has been repeatedly shelled since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST