US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday urged European allies to increase arms shipments to Ukraine, as Russia and China renewed their mutual support to confront Western sanctions.
In eastern Ukraine, troops fired shells from French-supplied Caesar howitzers toward Russian targets, even as Western ministers met at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Britain announced that delivery of the advanced multiple launch rocket system to Ukraine was now “imminent” – but nonetheless requested Kyiv that it was on the front lines and needed prompt support.
“We can’t afford to let up and we can’t lose steam. The stakes are too high. Ukraine is facing a pivotal moment on the battlefield,” Austin told a meeting of allies in Brussels. “We must intensify our shared commitment to Ukraine’s self-defence, and we must push ourselves even harder to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, its citizens and its territory.”
Austin said Moscow’s attack on its pro-Western neighbour “is not just a threat to Ukraine – it is a threat to European security”. “That’s why we must continue to move forward to meet this challenge,” he said, sitting next to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
While Western allies debate how best to help Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of Beijing’s support for Moscow. China has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Russia by criticizing Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv.
State media reported that China is “ready to continue to offer (to Russia) mutual support on issues relating to core interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security”. And the Kremlin said, in a call, Xi and Putin had agreed to increase economic cooperation in the face of “illegal” Western sanctions.
Earlier, Ukraine delivered a message at the meeting on behalf of its troops fighting to stop the Russian offensive.
“Brussels, we are waiting for a decision,” Mykhaylo Podolyak, senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, warning that Ukraine’s artillery is outgunned by 10 to one. “Daily, I receive a message from the defenders: ‘We are holding on, just say: when to expect the weapons?’” he said.