Ukraine’s Foreign Minister emphasises importance of arms and ammunition supplies for defence of country’s infrastructure during NATO meeting

Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba has said that during a meeting between Foreign Ministers of NATO countries in Bucharest the delegates had discussed further support of Ukraine, including arms supplies, Novaya Gazeta Europe correspondent reports.

“Many important decisions were discussed, taken, and some of them announced. [In particular], new military assistance, including some air defence, armoured vehicles, artillery, ammunition, and other equipment necessary for strengthening our army during the winter,” Kuleba declared. 

According to Kuleba, the NATO member countries have committed themselves to helping Ukraine restore its gas and energy infrastructure, damaged by Russian shelling. Many of the delegates said that support of Ukraine would last as long as necessary, Kuleba noted.

“The best way to help the Ukrainian energy system is to provide both spare parts to restore the energy system and air defence systems and ammunition to defend [it],” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister emphasised.

Kuleba also thanked the NATO member countries for the training of servicemen of Ukraine’s Armed Forces that was organised by their governments.

"But I emphasise <…> that even the best trained soldier will be vulnerable on the battlefield of he or she, if there’s no heavy armoured vehicle to bring him or her support, and if he or she is not supported by artillery fire and air defence systems. Therefore, training is a good thing, but it has to be paired with delivery of heavy weapons,” he noted.

Furthermore, Kuleba declared that the logic of decision-making when it comes to deliveries of certain types of weapons should be changed. Ukraine started receiving weaponry only after “certain tragedies” had occurred on the battlefield, and that should change: arms should be delivered in advance, so these tragedies can be prevented, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs. 

At the end of his speech, Kuleba touched upon the topic of Ukraine joining NATO. “The discussion on the ratification should begin. <…> We understand that there are still differences in opinions on how to proceed on this particular issue, but the discussion has to take place, and we will work with allies towards this end.”

The meeting of Foreign Ministers of the NATO member countries is taking place in the Romanian Parliament on 29 and 30 November. On Tuesday, NATO’s General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance would continue providing aid to Ukraine, including by helping to restore the gas and energy infrastructure of the country, damaged by Russia’s shelling, as well as by supplying Ukraine with air defence systems.