Nato countries are ready to send weapons into Ukraine for years to come, the military alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
Six weeks into the war, and with mounting civilian and army casualties, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba this week urged members of the transatlantic union to send “weapons, weapons, weapons” to help his people defend themselves against the Russian invaders.
Mr Stoltenberg told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Nato allies would not shrink from the call, and suggested more advanced weaponry could be on the table in future.
Asked if Nato members are prepared to continue arming the Ukrainians in future, he said: “That was the clear message from Nato allies when they met with foreign minister Kuleba in Brussels this week at the foreign ministerial meeting, that we need to be ready to further support Ukraine.”
Nato, as an organisation, refuses to send troops or weapons to Ukraine or impose a no-fly zone to prevent Russia from completely overwhelming its neighbour. Individual member countries have provided anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, as well as equipment and medical supplies. The Czech Republic this week shipped tanks, reported to be T-72 models, to Ukraine.
Ukraine has urged Nato states to enhance their weapons donations to include planes, missile defence systems and armoured vehicles.
Mr Stoltenberg declined to be drawn on the specific weapons that are being considered by Nato governments, but said heavier arms were on the table.
“We see all the destroyed Russian armour, we see Ukraine has the ability to shoot down Russian missiles and planes, so we see the effect of what we have provided and our allies are ready to provide even more and also more modern and heavier weapons,” he said.
Nato’s secretary general on Thursday said the war in Ukraine could drag on for years.
The war is being called the worst crisis to hit Europe since the Second World War. As a result, Mr Stoltenberg has agreed to remain in his post until September 2023, a year after his tenure had been due to end.
After discussions with his Nato counterparts, Mr Kuleba said he was cautiously optimistic that some countries would boost weapons supplies. He said those arms needed to get to Ukraine quickly, with Russia expected to attack more widely in east Ukraine.
“Either you help us now, and I’m speaking about days, not weeks, or your help will come too late,” Mr Kuleba said.
Britain and Poland, both Nato members, announced a military co-operation pact that they said would involve co-ordinating weapons supplies to Ukraine and modernising its military from Soviet-era equipment.
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Women, wrapped in a Ukrainian flag, embrace during a flash mob protesting sexual abuse by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, at Washington Square Park in New York. AFP -
The train station, seen from a train car, after a rocket attack in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. A rocket attack on the station in the eastern Ukrainian city killed 52 people as civilians raced to flee the Donbas region bracing for a feared Russian offensive. AFP -
Antonina Kaletnyk waits for the body of her son in front of a collapsed building in the town of Borodianka, north-west of Kyiv. AFP -
A vehicle drives past a hole on a damaged bridge, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AFP -
A segment of a large rocket with the words "for our children" in Russian is pictured next to the main building of the train station in Kramatorsk. EPA -
Antonina Kaletnyk waits for the body of her son in front of a collapsed building in the town of Borodianka, northwest of Kyiv. AFP -
A woman waves goodbye to her husband as she leaves on a bus, a day after the rocket attack at a train station in Kramatorsk. AFP -
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU foreign affairs envoy Josep Borrell during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. EPA -
European Commission President Ursula and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a news conference in Kyiv. Reuters -
Ms von der Leyen shakes hands with President Zelenskyy as Mr Borrell looks on during their meeting in Kyiv. EPA -
Ms von der Leyen and Mr Borrell before their meeting with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv. EPA -
Ms von der Leyen, Mr Borrell and Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visit the town of Bucha, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters -
Smoke rises after Russian shelling at the railway station in Kramatorsk, in the Donbas region of Ukraine. AP -
Burnt vehicles are seen in the aftermath of a rocket attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk. AFP -
Policemen at the scene in Kramatorsk. AFP -
The remnants of a rocket after the deadly strike in Kramatorsk. AFP -
Survivors of the attack sit on a bench outside the station. AFP -
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen departs for Kyiv in Przemysl, Poland. Reuters -
A man wheels his bicycle past a destroyed tank in Chernihiv. AP -
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Barcelona Mayoress Ada Colau visit the refugee centre set up at Fira de Barcelona for the care, temporary reception and referral of Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war. EPA -
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin follows the address of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video link at the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki. AFP -
A young refugee from Ukraine and a dog wait in the ticket hall of the railwlay station in Przemysl, eastern Poland, which has become a hub for refugees from Ukraine fleeing their country due to Russia's aggression. AFP -
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks MPs after his virtual address to the Greek Parliament in Athens. AFP -
Firefighters take a rest after working at the site of buildings that were destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Borodyanka, in the Kyiv region, Ukraine. Reuters -
Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, poses for a picture during an interview with The Associated Press during an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers Anastasia and Vyacheslav embrace prior to their wedding ceremony in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP -
Yurii, 41, who serves in the Ukrainian military, grabs a wedding photograph from his apartment in Hostomel, Ukraine. Getty Images -
A damaged car is seen next to a heavily damaged apartment building in Hostomel, Ukraine. Getty Images -
Burnt cars are seen next to a field in Hostomel, Ukraine. Getty Images -
Svitlana, 62, shows a heavily damaged house in the residential area, in Hostomel, Ukraine. Getty Images -
Ukrainians, who fled to Mexico amid the Russian invasion of their homeland, enjoy the performance of a mariachi band at the Benito Juarez sports complex, set up as a shelter by the local government, after arriving in Tijuana to enter the U. S. , in Tijuana, Mexico. Reuters -
A Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle bound for Ukraine waits to be loaded onto a C-17A Globemaster III aircraft at RAAF Base Amberley, Australia. AP -
Residents and volunteers cross the destroyed bridge to the city with supplies in Irpin, Ukraine. Getty Images -
A Ukrainian serviceman attends a training session in Kharkiv outskirts, Ukraine. AP -
A Ukrainian serviceman walks on a destroyed Russian fighting vehicle in Bucha, Ukraine. AP -
Screens show results from voting by the UN General Assembly in New York as member countries pass a resolution to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. EPA -
The shell of a theatre destroyed in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Reuters -
A woman lights candles during a demonstration to support Ukraine in downtown Sofia. AFP -
Territorial Defence fighters are trained near Kharkiv. EPA -
Rescuers work among remains of residential building destroyed by Russian shelling in Borodyanka, Kyiv region. Reuters -
Smoke rises over the town of Rubizhne, in the Donbas region. AFP -
Ukrainian soldiers sit on an armoured military vehicle in the city of Severodonetsk, Donbass region. AFP -
Painted pictures showing Ukrainian cities hang on a wall at "Cafe Ukraine" in Berlin, Germany. Getty -
A Ukrainian refugee's dog arrives on a train from Odesa at Przemysl Glowny train station in Poland. Reuters
“We’ve agreed to step up support for Ukraine and we’ve also recognised that the conflict’s entered a new and different phase with a more concentrated Russian offensive,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
“There was support for countries to supply new and heavier equipment to Ukraine so that they can respond to these new threats from Russia. We’ve agreed to help Ukrainian forces move from their Soviet-era equipment to Nato-standard equipment on a bilateral basis,” Ms Truss said.
