The commitment came after a call by Ukraine’s foreign minister for Western countries to move faster with fresh supplies or to see “many people die.” . . because this help came too late. “ Six weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow troops have largely withdrawn from the territory north of Kiev after failing to occupy the capital, but are regrouping and rearming before an attempt can be made. to proceed to the eastern part of Donbass. say western officials. This sparked demands from Kyiv for Western countries to supply more heavy weapons, armor and more advanced systems. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said he will use a NATO meeting in Brussels to request aircraft, missiles, armored vehicles and heavy air defense systems. UK Secretary of State Liz Truce told reporters after the meeting that Member States supported the supply of more weapons. “There has been support for countries to supply new and heavier equipment to Ukraine so that they can respond to these new threats from Russia,” he said. “And we agreed to help Ukrainian forces move from Soviet-era equipment to standard NATO equipment on a bilateral basis.” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that Washington is considering sending “new systems” to Ukraine. “We are not going to let anything stand in the way of the Ukrainians getting what they need,” he said. “We are looking at the moment in general, not just what we have to offer. . . [but] if there are additional systems that would make a difference “. The promise of more military aid came as Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peshkov acknowledged that Russia had suffered “significant troop losses” during its invasion of Ukraine, which it described as “a huge tragedy for us.” Peshkov said Russia withdrew from Kyiv and Chernihiv in central Ukraine last week as “an act of goodwill to lift tensions in those areas and show that Russia is really ready to create comfortable conditions to continue negotiations”. But fighting will continue in Donbass, he added. NATO countries supplied Ukraine with anti-tank missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and other defense weapons before and during the war. However, they refused to supply other categories of weapons or impose a no-fly zone, as requested by Kyiv, because of the risk of Russian involvement in a wider war. Ukrainian Defense Forces with NLAW anti-tank weapons in Kyiv last month: NATO countries have promised to send more advanced systems as a new attack from Russia approaches © Genya Savilov / AFP / Getty Images Kuleba later said he was “cautiously optimistic” that alliance states would comply with his request, but warned that delays would lead to more deaths. “Either you help us now, and I’m talking for days. . . “Otherwise your help will come too late,” Kuleba said. “Many people will die. . . “precisely because this help came too late.” He added: “I was very specific about the requests and the timetable that needs to be settled. I will look forward to the continuation from the allies “. Ukraine has warned Russia it is preparing a new offensive in Donbas to seize territory in the two administrative districts of Luhansk and Donetsk, which separatists have seized in part since the 2014 Moscow-backed uprising. Ukrainian military authorities on Wednesday called on residents living in the area to leave “while they still have the opportunity”. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the allies had agreed to “further strengthen” support for Ukraine immediately and “in the medium and long term”. “It was a clear message from today’s meeting that the allies need to do more and are willing to do more to supply more equipment. “They understand and recognize the urgency,” he said. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly on Thursday voted to suspend Russia from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, in a new international rebuke to Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and alleged atrocities. Ninety-three UN members have approved Russia’s suspension – the first to be imposed on any permanent member of the UN Security Council. However, 24 UN members, including China, Iran, Bolivia and Kazakhstan, voted against the suspension. Another 58 countries abstained, including India, Indonesia and Egypt, indicating that a wide range of countries either sided with Moscow or remained neutral as the military conflict continued. Additional report by James Citizen in Washington
