With the eyes of the world focused on the Middle East, German and British Defence Ministers Boris Pistorius and John Healey, co-chairs of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), pledged on Wednesday 15 April that the Group would continue to support Ukraine, announcing new commitments at the end of a videoconference meeting.
The Ukrainian Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, reiterated that “the absolute priority was air defence, followed of course by Ukrainian-made drones, which are responsible for 95% of counter-attacks, both on the battlefield and in hostile territory”. “We urgently need 155mm extended-range ammunition on the ground”, he added. Mykhailo Fedorov also asked UDCG members to check their stocks of Patriots PAC 2 and 3 interceptors, which the country needs “to build up a reserve for the winter and protect (its) critical infrastructure”.
Leading by example, the German Minister explained that strengthening Ukraine’s air defence remained his country’s top priority and was therefore an essential part of the support plan for Ukraine agreed the previous day. “It includes hundreds of Patriot guided missiles, which will be delivered progressively over the next four years”, he explained, adding that Germany will provide additional launchers for IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems and finance deep strike UAVs.
For its part, the UK has announced “the largest single shipment of drones from the UK to Ukraine this year” - a total of 120,000 drones. According to him, given that 96% of Russian losses are attributable to drones, “drones have left their mark on this war and will be decisive for its outcome”. Mr Healey added that London would supply hundreds of thousands of artillery shells and thousands of air defence missiles.
The Ukrainian Minister also announced contributions from Belgium, Norway, Estonia, and Bulgaria to the PURL mechanism, in order to supply Ukraine with Patriot systems.
According to Mykhailo Fedorov, countries need to be more responsive to Ukrainian requests. “All countries must ensure that they use their resources efficiently, be up-to-date, and adapt to our urgent requirements, because the situation on the front is changing rapidly, as are our requirements”, he explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)