Steph Deschamps / January 22, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Western allies to "speed up" arms deliveries, including tanks, to repel the Russian invasion, at the opening of a meeting of the country's supporters.
Yes, we will still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks, but every day we make it more obvious that there is no alternative to making a decision on tanks," Zelensky said in his evening speech via video.
"Our partners have a principled attitude - they will support Ukraine as much as necessary for our victory," he continued.
Meeting at the U.S. military base in Ramstein, Germany, Ukraine's Western allies were unable to agree on the delivery of heavy tanks, notably due to the lack of a green light from Germany.
Kiev's expectations were high before this meeting of some fifty countries to coordinate military aid from allies against Moscow, Ukraine hoping to obtain the necessary weapons to launch a new offensive against Russian troops on its soil.
Zelensky, who on Thursday called on the West to "considerably" increase their deliveries, nevertheless welcomed a meeting in Ramstein on Friday that "will strengthen our resilience.
He cited "several hundred combat vehicles added to the arsenal" of Ukraine, "significant results concerning rockets and anti-aircraft systems ».