BERLIN: Nato chief Mark Rutte and Kyiv´s top allies vowed on Wednesday they would not lose sight of Ukraine´s conflict with Russia and called on others to urgently boost their support for the country.
With the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, fears have grown that international support for Kyiv is waning, more than four years since Moscow´s full-scale invasion.
American-led talks to end Europe´s deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled since the start of the Middle East war, at a time US support for Ukraine was already weakening under US President Donald Trump.
But Rutte and defence ministers from Kyiv´s key allies, including Germany and Britain, insisted alongside their Ukrainian counterpart at a meeting in Berlin that their backing was undiminished.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the “world to think that those who stand with Ukraine have grown weary or distracted,” British Defence Secretary John Healey told a press conference after the talks.
“The truth is, our support continues steadfast,” added Healey, announcing London would supply Ukraine with 120,000 drones, which have taken on a central role in the war. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius added that the gathering in Berlin “demonstrates our unity and our determination”.
Other pledges of military aid at the meeting included more missiles from Germany, which has become Ukraine´s biggest backer as US support has weakened, and drones from the Netherlands.
But Rutte also emphasised that all of Kyiv´s allies needed to step up.
It came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained that US peace negotiators “have no time for Ukraine” because of the Middle East conflict.
