Russia ‘not in a hurry’ to end war: Ukraine urges allies to step up arms deliveries

Officials in Ukraine have urged governments of other countries to step up arms deliveries as Russia seems to be “not in a hurry” to end the war.

Moscow’s strategy is to exhaust the Ukrainian armed forces, said Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European integration.

So, “the further developments of this war are directly dependent on the military assistance which will be provided to Ukraine,” she told a group of visiting members of national European parliaments and think-tankers on Friday, according to Politico.

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The country’s Western partners have been providing weapons and equipment for Ukraine to fight Russia, which invaded Kyiv on Feb 24. 

The deputy prime minister attended a recent meeting of senior defense officials at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to coordinate assistance for Ukraine as the beginning of “a new reality.”

“We need a lot of weapons right now,” she said. Nevertheless, “some of the countries,” Stefanishyna noted, “have been doing it to tick the box.” 

Some countries are announcing assistance for Ukraine to avoid political discomfort, Stefanishyna said, according to Politico. No details of the type — or quantity — of weapons that Ukraine needs are disclosed openly.

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A senior Ukrainian military official said that currently they need  MLRS multiple launch rocket systems, drones, combat aircraft, radar and air defense systems, and coastal defense systems to restrict Russia’s further movement.

On their visit, organized by the Slovakia-based GLOBSEC think tank, the European lawmakers saw the impact of the war firsthand.

Meanwhile, fighting is raging in the east despite several calls from the international community urging Russia to end the war, which jas so far killed thousands and displaced millions.

Stefanishyna said that European governments who are skeptical about Ukraine’s EU membership aspirations have “weak” arguments. 

The vast majority of EU countries support Ukraine’s membership, the deputy prime minister told reporters, adding that there are around six or seven countries that are skeptical.

The deputy prime minister also called for even stronger European sanctions to isolate Russia’s economy faster.