US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the military support will help defend against the threats from tanks and the air. According to British sources, around two dozen countries pledged “military and humanitarian aid” at a donor conference for Ukraine.
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$1 billion in military aid
“This is another signal that the US stands by the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, brave and proud country,” Blinken said. With the new tranche, military aid to Ukraine has totaled $1 billion since last year, it said. US President Joe Biden had ordered the new military aid to be paid out on Saturday night. The United States has already delivered many weapon systems and ammunition to Ukraine.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace tweeted that “every option is being considered to help Kiev defend itself against “President Putin’s groundless and illegal invasion.” His Secretary of State James Heappey confirmed in a BBC interview that Great Britain wanted to send more weapons. So far, the British have provided 2,000 anti-tank missiles. Plans are also underway to support a Ukrainian government-in-exile and domestic resistance should Russian troops gain the upper hand, Heappey said.
Netherlands deliver 200 rockets
The Netherlands will deliver about 200 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, the government told parliament in The Hague on Saturday. The government is responding to a request from Ukraine. The so-called Stinger missiles can hit airplanes and helicopters, for example. The Netherlands had already agreed to the delivery of weapons and military goods last week. This included 100 sniper rifles with 30,000 pieces of ammunition as well as radar and mine detectors. Part of it was sent on Saturday, the rest should follow as soon as possible. However, like other allies, the Netherlands had “logistical” problems.
The Czech Republic announced that it would deliver weapons and ammunition worth 7.6 million euros to Ukraine. These are machine guns, assault rifles and other light weapons, it said.
Belgium sends weapons and fuel
Belgium wants to support Ukraine with weapons and fuel. “Ukraine has asked Belgium for large amounts of fuel to supply its troops,” Prime Minister Alexander de Croo wrote on Twitter. 3,800 tons of fuel will be delivered. “Belgium will also supply 2,000 machine guns to the Ukrainian army,” he wrote. In addition, Belgium will send 300 soldiers to Romania. Denmark announced on Saturday that it wants to send 2,000 bulletproof vests and 700 medical bags to Ukraine.
Germany supplies bazookas
Germany has authorized the Netherlands to supply 400 German-made bazookas to Ukraine. The dpa learned this on Saturday from government circles. So far, Berlin has rejected all exports of deadly weapons to Ukraine on principle because it is a crisis area, and only pledged 5,000 helmets, which were handed over to the Ukrainian armed forces on Saturday.
According to the Berlin Ministry of Economic Affairs, the export of 14 armored vehicles was also approved on Saturday, and up to 10,000 tons of fuel are to be delivered to Ukraine via Poland.
Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad confirmed that 1,200 NATO soldiers are to come to the EU and NATO country, which borders directly on Ukraine. In addition, Germany will strengthen Slovakia’s defense readiness with “Patriot” anti-aircraft systems, the minister said on Saturday after a special government meeting in Bratislava. The NATO soldiers should therefore form a joint unit with 300 Slovakian soldiers.
Italy sends fighter jets
Italy sends four more fighter jets to Romania to strengthen NATO’s southeastern flank. This was announced by Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini. The Italians had already stationed four Eurofighters at the Mihail Kogalniceanu military airport near Constanta, and four more will be added as of Sunday. Since December, the Italian Air Force has been responsible for airspace surveillance in the region within NATO (“Southern Air Policing”). The German Bundeswehr had sent a total of six combat aircraft to Romania in the past few days.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, the Russian-led war in Ukraine will “continue”. “We have to prepare for this,” warned the head of state at the opening of the International Agricultural Fair in Paris. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday: “Weapons and equipment of our partners are on their way to Ukraine. The anti-war coalition is working.”
Video: How appreciate the two ORF correspondents Christian Wehrschütz and Paul Krisai from Kiev and Moscow the situation?
Austria not at donor conference
The donor conference took place virtually under British leadership on Friday evening. According to a report by British broadcaster Sky News, the conference also included the United States and several non-NATO countries. According to the Foreign Ministry, Austria was not invited. A spokeswoman referred to the humanitarian aid already provided to Ukraine by the federal government.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called for an end to Russian attacks in Ukraine in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. A statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry also said that during the phone call, Cavusoglu confirmed that the government in Ankara was ready to receive the Russian and Ukrainian leaders for peace talks. Turkey is a NATO country.
Ukraine again asked Turkey to block the waterways between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea for Russian warships. According to President Selenskyj, this is what he said to his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a conversation. An important part of the Russian fleet is stationed in the Black Sea. Turkey announced on Friday that it could not impose a complete ban on the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for legal reasons. It relies on the international Treaty of Montreux, which regulates traffic on this shipping route. According to the Interfax agency, the Russian embassy in Turkey said it had not received any notification of a ban.
Source: Nachrichten
