NATO assures Ukraine of heavy weapons ahead of Madrid summit

NATO leaders on Tuesday pledged to provide more heavy weapons to Ukraine, responding to President Volodymyr Zelensky impassioned pleas to Western countries to provide advanced weapons to tilt the balance of the war against Russia.

Leaders from seven NATO nations gathered informally at Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s official residence in The Hague, where they voiced their support for Finland and Sweden’s bids to join the alliance, and pledged to provide Kyiv with the weapons requested by Zelensky.

“We have not done enough defend Ukraine, to support Ukrainian people to defend their freedom and sovereignty. And this is why I urge you, I asked you to do much more to deliver weapon, artillery to Ukraine,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, criticizing Western responses to Zelensky’s repeated calls for support.

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“Where is our credibility if Ukraine fails? Can we imagine that Ukraine fails and we revert back to business as usual? I hope not,” Morawiecki added.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also echoed similar concerns, saying, “Ukraine should have more heavy weapons, and NATO allies and partners have provided the heavy weapons now for actually a long time. But they are also stepping up.”

Stoltenberg also went on to express his support for Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids, saying, “My message on Swedish and Finnish membership is that I strongly welcome that. It’s an historic decision. It will strengthen them, it will strengthen us.”

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The informal meeting on Tuesday comes ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid from June 29-30, where steps to beef up the alliance’s presence in Europe are expected to be discussed.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the Black Sea, which borders NATO members Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey, has turned into a battleground, raising serious questions about NATO’s influence on the security situation in Europe.

Commenting on what to expect at Madrid, Stoltenberg said, “we will take the next steps and agree a major strengthening of our posture [at Madrid]. Tonight we discussed the need for more robust and combat ready forward presence, even higher readiness and more pre-positioned equipment and supplies.”