More than fifty Western countries gathered on Wednesday (October 12th) in Brussels to promise more weapons to Ukraine, in particular air defense systems, after Russia in recent days carried out a series of missile launches across the country. country, “the most intense” since the beginning of the war on February 24, estimates the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera.
At the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Russia’s latest attacks had laid bare its “wickedness and its cruelty”. Referring to the successful counter-offensive launched in September, Austin said that if “these victories belong to the brave Ukrainian soldiers, the assistance, training and support efforts of the Contact Group have been vital”.
He then praised the tenacity and efficiency of the Ukrainian troops, before adding: “and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure they have what it takes to be effective”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, for his part, assured that these Russian missile attacks against civilian targets were a sign of weakness, proof that “Russia is losing on the battlefield”.
Air defense systems delivered or promised
After Monday’s attacks, Germany has finally sent the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems promised for months. “This is the most modern thing the German arms industry has to offer”, boasts the Southgerman newspaper. “Even the Bundeswehr does not have one” again, because these state-of-the-art systems fresh from the Diehl Defense factories were initially “intended for export to Egypt”. An eight-missile launcher offers “full protection within a radius of 40 kilometers and an altitude of up to 20 kilometers against aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles” details the Bavarian daily. They are thus comparable to the American Nasams, whose delivery Washington has promised to speed up.
France, too, seemed to seek to silence critics of the pusillanimity of its arms deliveries. “France has come under pressure to increase arms donations to Ukraine, after international assessments showed that France, one of Europe’s defense heavyweights, was lagging behind others. EU Member States”notes the American information site Politico. During an interview on France 2, focused mainly on its international and energy policy, President Emmanuel Macron pledged to quickly provide “radars, systems and missiles [antiaériens] to protect Ukrainians from attacks, in particular to protect them from drone attacks”, reports Politico.
The Head of State also confirmed that six new Caesar guns, initially intended for Denmark, would be sent to Ukraine, in addition to the 18 guns already delivered, “who were decisive in the Donbass”according to Macron. Politico recalls that a few hours before this announcement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense had published on Twitter a fake romantic video asking France to send more guns instead of flowers and chocolate “to win [leurs] hearts”a message that Macron said he found “very moving”.
Diplomatic victory and financial assistance
For its part, the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday condemned, by an overwhelming majority, the annexation by Russia, in September, of four Ukrainian regions by 143 votes to 5, with 35 abstentions. “The world had its say”, and Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted grateful, after the vote. “The attempted annexation of the Russian Federation is worthless [et] will never be recognized by free nations. [L’Ukraine] will take back all his lands”, did he declare. Only Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria voted alongside Russia. Iran was absent, China and India abstained. “Good that [ce vote soit] symbolically, he garnered the highest number of votes against Russia since the invasion”, notes the BBC.
Finally, addressing the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Volodymyr Zelensky requested $57 billion for “address the bleak financial outlook for his country, where the economy has shrunk by more than a third”, explains the New York Times. The majority of the requested money, $38 billion, would be allocated to the state budget, pensions, social services and the salaries of doctors and lawyers – all things “that would guarantee the survival of his people”, pleaded the Head of State.
An additional $17 billion would be used to rebuild the most basic public services, such as schools, hospitals, and transportation that Russia has destroyed or damaged. Finally, the remaining 2 billion would be allocated to expanding export capacity to Europe and restoring Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. “The more aid Ukraine receives today, the sooner the war […] will end”he concluded, hoping that thus, this “cruel war will not spread to other countries.”