The allies will supply more air defense and ammunition to Ukraine now that the war unleashed by Russia’s invasion of the country has lasted almost 14 months and Kyiv prepares a counter-offensive, but the shipment of Western fighter planes that Volodymyr Zelensky requests remains a thorny issue. That is the current scenario of military support for Ukraine after the meeting yesterday of more than 50 allied countries at the US Ramstein air base, in German territory, convened by the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin.
“What Ukraine needs most urgently now is air defense on the ground, because that allows it to prevent the Russian air forces from having a significant impact on its territory, thus protecting its citizens, its infrastructure, its fighters,†Austin replied when he was asked about the planes at a press conference after the job, which brought together defense ministers and chiefs of staff from more than 50 allied countries. These regular meetings began two months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched by Putin on February 24, 2022, and this is the eleventh appointment.
Fears of a military escalation with Moscow, insufficient inventories and logistical challenges mean that the Europeans and Americans are far more cautious on fighter jets than Kyiv would like. Germany is particularly reticent about handing over modern Western-made fighters. Meanwhile, Poland and Slovakia have started sending Soviet-designed Mig-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Regarding air defense, Ukraine this week received the first American-branded Patriot systems, a joint delivery from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands.
At the opening, Lloyd Austin stressed that “the allies are committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes” and condemned what he described as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts “to carve out spheres of influence at gunpoint.” .
Spain has participated in several of these meetings, and on this occasion the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, traveled to Ramstein, announcing new Spanish shipments to Ukraine of military material to reinforce the mobility, armoring and protection of its Ukrainian army, as well as capabilities anti-aircraft defense and maritime and amphibious protection and projection. Robles was accompanied by the Secretary General for Defense Policy, Admiral Juan Francisco MartÃnez Núñez, and met briefly with her US counterpart hers Austin.
The maritime and amphibious field “is considered key to ensure the maritime green route, which allows the output of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, essential to support the United Nations World Food Program and help the most affected African and Asian countries. because of the famine,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement in Berlin.
The donations will be made “in the near future”, in response to the priorities mentioned by the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Olexà Réznikov, during his visit to Madrid last week. Reznikov then alluded to the experience of the Spanish Navy in marine infantry capabilities. Added to this is the training mission of the Ukrainian military in Spain; So far, some 1,200 have received training, and the total figure is expected to be at least 2,000 military personnel for the entire year.
Since the end of March, German Leopard and British Challenger heavy tanks, long requested by Kyiv, have been arriving in Ukrainian territory via Poland. In this context, the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, announced an agreement between Germany, Poland and Ukraine to locate an operational center for the Leopard in Polish territory, near the Ukrainian border, where maintenance or repair tasks will be centralized.
“The idea is that they are as close as possible to Ukraine so that they can enter into service as quickly as possible,” said Pistorius, after signing the agreement with his Ukrainian and Polish counterparts in Ramstein. Also yesterday Lloyd Austin announced the arrival in Germany “in the coming weeks” of US Abrams tanks promised to Ukraine so that Ukrainian soldiers can be trained in their handling.
