Ukraine's allies say fighter jets are not priority, there is need for ammunition and air defence

Western capitals will set out additional pledges to provide Ukraine with ammunition and air defence equipment at a meeting on Tuesday.

Source: Financial Times,  referring to officials, European Pravda reports

The new promises of military support come as Kyiv and NATO warn about ammunition shortages confronting the Ukrainian military in the face of a full-scale Russian invasion and as Western capitals are increasingly concerned about the consequences of strained defence supply chains and declining domestic stockpiles.

These urgent needs outweigh long-term requests for material resources such as fighter jets or rapid deliveries of Western battle tanks, officials said, in light of Russia's new offensive, which NATO said on Monday had already started.

"What Ukraine tells us that they really need is ammunition and additional air defence capabilities," the Western official said.

The US official said that fighter jets are less important in the short term as Ukraine seeks to maintain its superiority.

"What we really have to concentrate on now is Ukraine's ability to defend the air and they’ll do that through air defence artillery, equipped with the proper ammunition. Fighter jets are not and will not be as capable against the Russian air force as an integrated air defence system," the US official said.

He added: "This war has proven to be an artillery duel using mass amounts of artillery ammunition on both sides. The international community will seek to continue to supply Ukraine with the artillery it needs to defend itself."

Support for air defence is considered necessary due to concerns about the relatively undiminished capabilities of the Russian air force. Western officials are concerned that they could be deployed during Moscow's spring offensive, which will follow months of Russian retreats in the south and east of Ukraine.

According to the two officials, the meeting may also discuss the conclusion of more direct contracts between Kyiv and Western defence companies with the mediation and financing of the Alliance's member countries. This would simplify the flow of supplies from the production line to the deployment site.

"The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions, and depleting allied stockpiles.The current rate of Ukraine's ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

Defence officials from about 50 countries allied with Ukraine will gather at NATO headquarters in Brussels for a regular meeting of the group, which first met at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany shortly after the outbreak of war.

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