President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Stanislav Ivanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty I
- Ukraine faces severe ammunition shortage As the conflict with Russia continues
- U.S. military aid has been delayed in Congress for months. President Volodymyr Zelensky beg Allies resume military aid to Ukraine.
- He said sending additional packages of weapons and air defense to Ukraine is a way for allies to show support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to allies at the World Security Council on Saturday to end an “artificial” weapons shortage that has given Russian forces an advantage on the battlefield.
Addressing politicians, diplomats and military personnel from around the world who gave him a standing ovation, President Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the support shown by Western countries and called for further support.
He was speaking at a critical juncture in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is now almost three years old, with Russian forces forced to retreat from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka.
Ukraine is facing a severe ammunition shortage, and U.S. military aid has been delayed by Congress for months.
“Unfortunately, Ukraine's artificial weapons shortages, particularly artillery and long-range capabilities, have allowed President Putin to adapt to the intensity of the current war.”
He said sending additional weapons and air defense packages to Ukraine is the most important thing allies can do.
Read | Ukrainian troops withdraw from frontline city of Avdiivka
President Zelenskiy said, “If our artillery has a range of 20 km, but Russia's cannon has a range of 40 km, then we have an answer.''
Earlier, at the conference, dubbed the “Davos of defense”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sidestepped a question about whether to give Kiev long-range Taurus missiles, but not other European capitals. He also urged Berlin to agree to increase military aid.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a panel discussion that Russia could “overwhelm Ukraine” with military force and “drop dirty improvised weapons made in North Korea and Iran”. He said it needed to be integrated into Europe's defense plans.
He said the European Commission would submit a draft defense industrial strategy within three weeks and open a defense innovation office in Ukraine.
“Stop whining about Trump.”
Munich Security Council raises concerns in Europe about US efforts to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression and defend allies more broadly against the backdrop of Donald Trump's possible return to the White House It was held at a time when the
President Trump has said that if he is re-elected later this year, he will not protect allies in the NATO Western Defense Alliance that do not spend enough on defense.
Both Scholz and von der Leyen said Europe needed to strengthen its ability to defend itself.
Von der Leyen said: “Europe needs to strengthen its industrial base…I am convinced that I am a transatlanticist, but at the same time we have to build a strong Europe and that If re-elected, he said: As head of the European Union's executive branch, she will create a new post: defense commissioner.
But some leaders expressed impatience with the attention on Trump and the impact it would have on the potential of his future presidency.
Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: “We should stop moaning, complaining and nagging about President Trump.” He said, “Just because President Trump might come back, he's not going to increase defense spending or increase ammunition production.”
“We have to work together with everyone on the dance floor,” said Rutte, the front-runner to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary-general.
Also read | Kiev says Russia has launched at least 24 North Korean ballistic missiles towards Ukraine
Germany, Europe's largest economy, has increased defense spending to 2% of output and will continue to meet the goals of the NATO Western defense alliance, Scholz said.
He said the country was also in talks with allies France and the United Kingdom to develop precision weapons capable of long-range strikes to ensure its deterrence strategy remained at the cutting edge.
Stoltenberg reiterated on Saturday the importance of not undermining the defense alliance with talk of European defense autonomy.
He told delegates in Munich that talk about a possible European nuclear deterrent, especially without the US involvement, was “useless”. And that “will only weaken NATO at a time when we really need a reliable deterrent.”
On the first day of the conference on Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris sought to reassure Europe after it was shaken by news that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had died in an Arctic penal colony.
Harris said her and President Joe Biden's “sacred commitment to NATO remains strong” and her administration will continue to seek help to ensure Ukraine has the weapons and resources it needs.
“Our commitment to building and maintaining alliances has helped America become the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world,” he said. “It would be foolish to risk all that.”
Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, also spoke in Munich, calling on Putin to be held accountable for her husband's death and other crimes.