The longer Russia’s war in Ukraine lasts, the more NATO has to spend on its own defense and munitions production. This is the conclusion reached by NATO ministers on the second day of the meeting in Brussels.
According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, each country in the bloc should invest at least 2% of its GDP in defense and invest in accelerating the production of arms and ammunition, the stocks of which are depleted. New contracts with defense companies have already been signed by the United States, France, Germany and Norway. According to the NATO Secretary General, this is “good news”, as it will provide long-term assistance to Ukraine.
“We have seen a huge waste of ammunition over the past few months. That’s why we started talking about ammunition production in the fall,” says Stoltenberg. – We held meetings with representatives of the defense industry, we talked about it in different capitals of NATO countries. And now we see actions in the right direction. This war becomes an exhausting war of attrition, and logistics are very important in a war of attrition. This is the only way to be sure that Ukraine can win the war and regain its territories.
Following the results of a two-day meeting with NATO defense ministers, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov expressed much the same sentiment. In an interview with Reuters, he said it was a war – “a war of resources, and they are not endless.” Russia, he said, is also short of weapons, but it is Ukraine that has partners helping it with their weapons. Reznikov is also confident that Western countries – although there is no announcement yet – will eventually send fighter jets to Ukraine.
“If Russia launches a real offensive, the Russian army will definitely use fighter jets to try to stop our troops and they will dominate the skies. This is a real threat, so we need more planes advanced and modernized to stop, contain and defeat them. We must dominate our Ukrainian skies,” Reznikov says.
However, in addition to deliveries of fighters, which are still under discussion, following the results of the ninth meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, Kiev will receive new air defense systems and is preparing to receive tanks.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has confirmed that France and Italy will supply Ukraine with a joint SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system and, according to Austin, 8 countries have already joined the so-called “coalition of leopard tanks”.
According to Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, the members of the alliance have also agreed on new contributions to the overall assistance program for Ukraine, which includes the supply of food, fuel and medicine. At the same time, Bulgaria can no longer provide military assistance to Ukraine, the minister said.
“According to the decision of the Bulgarian parliament on December 9, Bulgaria was to provide assistance according to the list presented by the Ministry of Defence, and I can say with satisfaction that this assistance has been provided. In addition, this decision stipulates that Bulgaria must continue to support Ukraine, but in accordance with our capabilities. At the moment the Bulgarian opportunities are what they are,” Stoyanov explained.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, in turn, said that Kiev troops are so interconnected with NATO that Ukraine is already a de facto part of the alliance.
De jure, the minister is sure, Ukraine will join NATO after winning the war. Following the results of a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers, journalists also posed this question to NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. He again replied that the doors of the alliance are open, but the main task now is the victory of Ukraine.
