Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed top United States military leaders and officials from 50 partner nations during a recent meeting at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. In his remarks, President Zelensky emphasized the need for increased weaponry to further defend against Russian aggression. This call comes as the Biden administration has confirmed it will provide an additional $250 million in security assistance to Kyiv.
Zelensky expressed frustration with the delays in receiving previously promised weapons systems and reiterated his desire to directly strike at Russia deep within its borders. The Associated Press reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acknowledged that this meeting was taking place during a pivotal moment for Ukraine, as it conducts its first offensive operations of the war while facing significant threats from Russian forces in the Donbas region.
President Zelensky urged the United States and other Western countries to allow him to use the weapons they provided to strike within Russia itself, arguing that this would motivate Russian cities and soldiers to seek peace instead of continuing the conflict. This stance has not been supported by the U.S. previously due to concerns it could escalate the war further.
Recent deadly airstrikes by Russia have only strengthened Zelensky’s calls for more Western capabilities to strike deeper within Russian territory. As Breitbart News reported, earlier this week, Russian ballistic missiles targeted a military academy and a nearby hospital in Ukraine, marking one of the deadliest single attacks by Russian forces against a Ukrainian city since the war began over two and a half years ago.
The meeting on Friday was expected to focus on increasing air defense and artillery supplies, as well as strengthening Ukraine’s own defense industrial base to become more self-sufficient as Joe Biden’s U.S. presidency nears its end. Western partner nations are working with Ukraine to find a replacement missile for its Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems.
In response, the United Kingdom announced it would provide Ukraine with 650 missile systems worth $213.13 million to help protect the country from Russian drones and bombing. Meanwhile, Canada pledged to send 80,840 surplus small unarmed air-to-surface rockets to Ukraine as well as 1,300 warheads in the coming months.
Since 2022, member nations have collectively provided around $106 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. The United States alone has contributed more than $56 billion of that total. As the conflict continues to unfold, it remains essential for these countries to support Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression and pursue lasting peace.