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Western defence ministers gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday to hammer out future military aid to Ukraine amid ongoing dissent over who will provide the battle tanks that Ukrainian leaders say they desperately need to recapture territory from Russia. European Council president Charles Michel said tanks “must be delivered” to Ukraine after he visited the war-torn country on Thursday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
10:02am: Ukraine thanks US for ‘powerful’ $2.5 billion defence package
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Washington for its latest package of arms and munitions for Kyiv, which comes as Western allies are set to discuss further military aid to the war-torn country.
“Thank you” US President Joe Biden for providing Ukraine “with another powerful defense support package worth $2.5 billion,” Zelensky wrote in English on Twitter.
The Ukrainian leader hailed the Stryker armoured personnel carriers, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Avenger air defence systems included in the package as an “important help in our fight against the aggressor”.
Thank you @POTUS for providing 🇺🇦 with another powerful defense support package worth $2.5 billion. Stryker IFVs, additional Bradley APCs, Avenger air defense systems are important help in our fight against the aggressor. Thank you 🇺🇸 people for unwavering leadership support!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 20, 2023
9:03am: Finland promises $400 million euros of new military aid to Ukraine
Finland announced a new donation of 400 million euros ($434 million) worth of defence equipment for Ukraine.
The new donation would triple the total value of Finland’s defence aid to Ukraine, bringing the total so far to 590 million euros, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. A ministry spokesperson said the package does not include Leopard 2 tanks.
8:50am: European nations step up support for Kyiv as Berlin dithers over tanks
While Germany dithers over sending Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, other European countries have stepped up their supply of weapons to Ukraine – with tiny Estonia pledging military hardware worth 1% of its entire GDP.
Reporting from Kyiv, FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg takes a look at recent pledges from Ukraine’s Western backers and brings us the latest updates on fighting in the country’s east.
8:40am: Poland ready for ‘non-standard’ action if Germany opposes tank transfer
Poland is ready to take “non-standard” action if Germany opposes sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski has told private radio RMF FM ahead of talks at the Ramstein Air Base.
Asked whether sending tanks to Ukraine would be possible even with Germany opposition, Jablonski said, “I think that if there is strong resistance, we will be ready to take even such non-standard action … but let’s not anticipate the facts.”
Poland is among several European countries willing to send the German-made tanks to Ukraine, but Berlin has veto power over any decision to export them.
8:15am: Tens of thousands to suffer from PTSD as war takes heavy toll
Mental health professionals in Ukraine are pushing for better help for soldiers traumatised by experiences on the battlefield.
Months of trench warfare under heavy bombardment, combined with the loss of comrades, are taking a heavy toll on the men and women of the military, many of whom had little previous military experience. Tens of thousands are likely to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a condition for which only a few medical establishments in Ukraine are able to offer modern treatments.
The most prominent among them, Forest Glade just outside Kyiv, launched a programme on Thursday to help share its expertise. FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg sent this report.
6:30am: Will Germany budge on Leopard tanks?
Today’s meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany is the latest in a series since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 11 months ago, and where future weapons supplies will be discussed, particularly of Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks used by armies across Europe.
Berlin has veto power over any decision to export the tanks and Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has appeared reluctant so far to authorise that for fear of provoking Russia. Some allies say Berlin’s concern is misplaced, with Russia already fully committed to war.
Read more: UK offers tanks in Ukraine’s hour of need, but will Germany follow suit?
German government sources have said Berlin would move on the Leopard tanks issue if Washington agreed to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Germany’s new Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he did not know of any requirement that Ukraine receive US and German tanks simultaneously.
“I’m not aware of any such stipulation,” Pistorius told German ARD television when asked if that meant Abrams and Leopards had to be delivered at the same time, a position that leaves open the possibility of an agreement on Friday.
3:20am: US announces $2.5 billion in new military aid for Ukraine
The United States has announced new military assistance for Ukraine valued at up to $2.5 billion, including hundreds of armoured vehicles and support for Ukraine’s air defence.
The aid includes 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers, the US Defense Department said in a statement. In total, the United States has committed more than $27.4 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the invasion began.
Earlier, Britain announced it would send 600 Brimstone missiles, Denmark said it would donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzers, and Sweden promised its Archer artillery system, a modern mobile howitzer requested by Kyiv for months.
10:14pm: Zelensky expects ‘strong decisions’ on arms supplies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Thursday that he expected “strong decisions” on further Western arms supplies at a key meeting of allies at the US Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday.
“As we prepare for tomorrow’s Ramstein, we expect strong decisions. We expect a powerful military support package from the United States,” Zelensky said in a video address.
“We are, in fact, now waiting for a decision from one European capital, which will activate the prepared chains of cooperation regarding tanks,” he said, referring to German hesitations on delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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