NATO ministers pledge arms for Ukraine and talk production

Several NATO members states have pledged new weapons and ongoing support for Ukraine at a meeting of the military alliance's defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO military aid to Ukraine is making a difference on the battlefield.

"Ukrainians are making gains...it also highlights and demonstrates that the support NATO allies have been giving to Ukraine now for many, many months actually makes a difference on the battlefield as we speak," he said

Stoltenberg spoke as the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group met as a part of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels to discuss Kyiv's counter-offensive against Russia .

Defense ministers stand by Ukraine

At the meeting, several defense ministers vowed to continue supporting Ukraine in the long run.

Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told DW's Alexandra von Nahmen that the West would support Ukraine "for as long as it takes."

"There is no chance for Putin, for the Kremlin, to think that the West will go away from Ukraine's back," Pevkur said. "No, we will not go."

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the meeting that Ukraine needed both short-term and long-term support.

"Ukraine's fight is a marathon, not a sprint," he said.

"So we will continue to provide Ukraine with the urgent capabilities that it needs to meet this moment, as well as what it needs to keep itself secure for the long term from Russian aggression."

Nations pledge more weapons

Several NATO member states announced a fresh wave of weapons deliveries to Ukraine on Thursday.

Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States announced the joint delivery of hundreds of "Soviet-era" air defense missiles to Ukraine.

"Working with our international partners we are able to provide vital air defense equipment, which will help Ukraine support offensive operations and protect critical national infrastructure," UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.

The delivery is already underway and will be completed within weeks, the four nations said in a joint statement.

Additionally, Denmark and Norway agreed to donate 9,000 rounds of artillery to Ukraine.

Norway would donate 7,000 rounds from its own stocks, while the remainder would be made from fuses and propellant provided by Denmark and shells provided by Norway.

German business newspaper Handelsblatt also reported that Denmark and Norway could finance the delivery of 14 German-made Leopard-2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.

NATO meeting with defense industry leaders

The ministers are set to discuss increasing defense production with industry leaders to help sustain Ukraine's fight.

"This is now a war of attrition, and the war of attrition is a battle of logistics, and therefore, we have engaged with the defense industry," Stoltenberg said.

"We will also agree at the meeting new capability targets for battle decisive ammunition, and those targets for each and every nation will be significantly higher than the current ones," he added.

Austin also stressed the need for members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to continue providing arms to Kyiv.

"I ask that the members of this Contact Group continue to dig deep to provide Ukraine with the air defense assets and munitions that it so urgently needs to protect its citizens," Austin said in his opening remarks.

"We'll also continue to adapt our assistance to meet the changing circumstances on the ground in the changing needs of Ukraine's forces.

Planes for Ukraine

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov also attended the meeting at the NATO headquarters.

Kyiv has constantly urged its allies to supply it with modern fighter aircraft.

Stoltenberg said the issue will definitely be discussed during the two-day meeting.

"Exactly when decisions will be taken, it's too early to say, but the fact that training (of Ukrainian pilots on jets) has started provides us with the option to also decide to deliver planes, and then the pilots will be ready to fly them."

Danish Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said he would discuss his country's plans to train Ukrainian fighter pilots with his counterparts.

The training was slated for the Skrydstrup base in Jutland, home to Denmark's F-16 jets, Danish news agency Ritzau reported.

Denmark and the Netherlands were spearheading a mission to train Ukrainian pilots, as early as August, towards the eventual supply of Western aircraft to Kyiv..

Air defense was "extremely important," Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in Brussels.

zc, lo/fb (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)