Western capitals will pledge additional ammunition and air defense equipment to Ukraine at a meeting on Tuesday to bolster Kyiv’s forces, officials told the FT, in a gathering of allies that coincides with a large-scale offensive planned by Moscow.
The new pledge of military support comes as Kyiv and NATO warn of ammunition shortages facing Ukraine’s military as it attacks Russia, and as western capitals grow worried about the effects of strained defense supply chains and low domestic stockpiles.
This immediate need outweighs long-term requests for materiel such as fighter jets or a faster delivery of western battle tanks, officials said, because of Russia’s recent offensive, which NATO said on Monday had begun.
“What Ukraine says it really needs is additional munitions and air defense capabilities,” a western official said.
U.S. officials say fighter jets are less important in the near term as Ukraine appears to remain in the lead.
“What should be concentrated now is the ability of Ukraine to defend the air and it will be done through air defense artillery, equipped with the right ammunition. Fighter jets do not and will not be able to fight the Russian air force as an integrated air defense system,” said the US official.
The official added: “This war has proven to be an artillery duel using massive artillery ammunition on both sides. The international community will seek to continue providing Ukraine with the artillery it needs to defend itself.
Air defense support appears necessary because of concerns about the relatively undiminished capabilities of the Russian air force. Western officials worry that it could be deployed further during the spring offensive on Moscow, which comes after months of Russian retreat in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Julianne Smith, the US ambassador to NATO, said the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting was to “understand the current requirements on the part of Ukraine and then match those requirements with the promise of new and additional assistance”.
The meeting may include discussions on more direct contracts between Kyiv and western defense companies, sold and financed by allied countries, two officials said. This would speed up the flow of supplies from production lines to deployment, while also acknowledging that western militaries have less to spare.
“The war in Ukraine is using up a lot of ammunition, and it is depleting our allies’ stockpiles,” NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. “The current level of Ukrainian ammunition expenditure is several times higher than the current level of production.”
Defense officials from around 50 countries allied with Ukraine will meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels for a regular meeting of the group, which first convened at the US Ramstein air base in Germany shortly after the war began just over a year ago.
Ukraine and Russia are engaged in fierce fighting around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which US officials believe could fall to Moscow this week.
The city is of little strategic importance but its loss would be a symbolic blow to Kyiv after months of fighting. Russia has also stepped up attacks elsewhere in the Donbas along with new air and missile strikes in other parts of Ukraine as part of an apparent shaping operation, designed to begin creating the conditions for future war. There are about 300,000 troops in Ukraine as they prepare for a new offensive.
The additional munitions will be crucial as Ukraine seeks to deter Russia while awaiting more sophisticated weapons from the US and other allies. Kyiv hopes the supplies will help in its own spring counteroffensive.
Last month the US and Germany agreed to supply main battle tanks. American heavy armor would take months, but German and British tanks could arrive in the spring. The US, UK and Germany have also pledged infantry fighting vehicles, which will help Ukraine’s ability to maneuver and conduct combined arms operations.
While Moscow has failed in its original war aims, western officials have seen no signs that they are ready to change course or rethink operations. Increasingly, Russia has used the large size of its forces as an advantage but has suffered casualties. American officials estimate that about 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressed western allies to send fighter jets, although so far the US and other powers have not obliged. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. will not send F-16s, but Washington officials have acknowledged it will provide Ukraine with more sophisticated air power as the war progresses — or at least give the green light for the transfer of F-16s from other powers.
The issue of providing fighter jets will be discussed on Tuesday, two people who were briefed on the preparations, while confirming that getting the planes is a long-term goal for Kyiv and less important than necessities such as ammunition.