Ukraine has called on the West to provide weapons faster as Russia continues to attack many fronts and is said to be trying to accelerate the speed to end the conflict.
Oleskiy Danylov, Secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine, earlier this week urged Western allies and partners to speed up arms aid because, according to Kyiv’s predictions, Russia may be preparing for the final offensive. to end the conflict. Danylov told Ukrainian television that this last attack could happen on the day of the launch of Russia’s special military operation in February or in March.
“We have to prepare for such events every day, and we are preparing for that. The biggest and final question is always about weapons or military aid to help us. defeat Russia,” Danylov said.
On January 16, Ukraine’s General Staff said that Russia shelled about 25 towns and villages around Bakhmut and Avdiika, two strategic cities in Donetsk in order to take full control of Donbas, eastern Ukraine. According to the agency, the number of people killed in a Russian missile attack on the city of Dnipro, in the south-central region of Ukraine, on January 15 has increased to 40 people.
In addition, Russia continued to raid more than 30 settlements in the Northeastern regions of Kharkiv and Sumy near the Russian border. To the south, Russian mortar and artillery fire targeted several towns, including the city of Kherson, where Russian forces withdrew last November.
“From what happened in Dnipro, to the fact that Russia is preparing new attacks to gain the initiative or new requirements for the supply of weapons, it all just emphasizes the importance of coordination in the coalition to protect Ukraine as well as speeding up decision-making,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an online speech on January 16.
Western countries have continuously supplied weapons to Ukraine since Russia carried out a special military operation in the country on February 24, 2022. However, Kyiv said that now it urgently needs tanks and modern air defense systems.
Britain confirmed on January 16 that it would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks and other equipment, including hundreds of armored vehicles and advanced anti-aircraft missiles, to Kyiv. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to host US allies at an air base in Germany on January 20 to discuss increased aid to Ukraine.
Observers say that the new Western aid package will significantly increase the capacity of Ukrainian armored units, creating an important turning point for the conflict. However, Moscow warned that all weapons, including tanks, supplied by the West to Kyiv could become a legitimate target of Russia’s attack.
