U.S., allies pledge heavy arms for Ukraine, brushing off Russian nuclear war warning

By Phil Stewart and Pavel Polityuk

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany/KYIV (Reuters) -The US and its allies met at a German air base on Tuesday to pledge new packages of ever heavier weapons for Ukraine, dismissing a risk by Moscow that their help for Kyiv may result in nuclear struggle.

U.S. officers have shifted emphasis this week from talking primarily about serving to Ukraine defend itself to bolder discuss of a Ukrainian victory that will weaken Russia’s means to threaten its neighbours.

They’ve currently authorized shipments of lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in arms, together with artillery and drones they held again from sending in earlier phases of the struggle, and need their allies to do the identical.

“Nations from world wide stand united in our resolve to help Ukraine in its combat in opposition to Russia’s imperial aggression,” Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned, welcoming officers from greater than 40 nations to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, headquarters of U.S. air energy in Europe. “Ukraine clearly believes that it will probably win, and so does everybody right here.”

In a notable shift, Germany, the place the federal government had come beneath stress after refusing Ukrainian pleas for heavy weapons, introduced it could now ship “Gepard” gentle tanks with anti-aircraft weapons.

“The true significance of this choice lies not within the distinction Gepards could make on the battlefield, however within the sign it sends,” mentioned Marcel Dirsus, non-resident fellow at Kiel College’s Institute for Safety Coverage.

In a marked escalation of Russian rhetoric, International Minister Sergei Lavrov was requested on state TV in regards to the prospect of World Conflict Three and whether or not the present state of affairs was akin to the 1962 Cuban missile disaster that almost brought about nuclear struggle.

“The hazard is severe, actual. And we should not underestimate it,” Lavrov mentioned, based on the ministry’s transcript of the interview. “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a struggle with Russia by way of a proxy and is arming that proxy. Conflict means struggle.”

Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Workers, instructed reporters whereas flying to Tuesday’s assembly that the following a number of weeks in Ukraine could be “very, very crucial”.

“They want continued help with the intention to achieve success on the battlefield. And that is actually the aim of this convention,” he mentioned, describing the purpose as coordinating assist that features heavy weapons comparable to howitzer artillery.

Austin, who visited Kyiv together with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday, had mentioned on Monday: “We wish to see Russia weakened to the diploma that it will probably’t do the sorts of issues that it has achieved in invading Ukraine.”

Germany, Russia’s largest power client, additionally mentioned it hoped to eradicate Russian oil from its provides inside days.

‘BRAVADO’

U.N. Secretary-Normal Antonio Guterres visited Moscow on a peace mission, though Kyiv and Western nations mentioned they doubted he may obtain a lot.

“We’re extraordinarily taken with discovering methods with the intention to create the situations for efficient dialogue, create the situations for a ceasefire as quickly as potential, create the situations for a peaceable resolution,” Guterres mentioned at a gathering with Lavrov, forward of talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian International Minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned that whereas a diplomatic breakthrough was unlikely, there was hope Guterres may assist the humanitarian state of affairs, particularly round Mariupol, the place Ukraine says lots of of civilians are trapped with the town’s final defenders inside a blockaded metal works.

Kyiv and its allies performed down Lavrov’s remarks about nuclear struggle, which a British minister referred to as “bravado”.

Russia had misplaced its “final hope to scare the world off supporting Ukraine,” Kuleba tweeted after Lavrov’s interview. “This solely means Moscow senses defeat.”

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby decried what he referred to as Lavrov’s “escalatory rhetoric”.

“It is clearly unhelpful, not constructive, and definitely will not be indicative of what a accountable (world energy) must be doing within the public sphere,” Kirby mentioned. “A nuclear struggle can’t be gained and it should not be fought. There is no purpose for the present battle in Ukraine to get to that stage in any respect.”

CONCERN ABOUT MOLDOVA

To the west of Ukraine, there have been fears unrest may unfold to Moldova, the place Russian troops have occupied a separatist area alongside the Ukrainian border, Transdniestria, for the reason that Nineteen Nineties. Two radio masts have been destroyed by explosions early on Tuesday, following different blasts in Transdniestria on Monday.

The separatist authorities mentioned they have been elevating their terrorism risk stage to pink, whereas the Kremlin mentioned it was involved. Russia’s TASS information company quoted the separatist chief as saying the assaults may very well be traced again to Ukraine.

Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu blamed the “escalation makes an attempt” on “factions from inside the Transdniestrian area who’re pro-war forces and taken with destabilising the state of affairs within the area”.

Sandu’s authorities expressed alarm final week after a prime Russian normal mentioned Moscow goals to grab a path by way of Ukraine to Transdniestria, the place he mentioned Russian audio system wanted safety from oppression. Moldova, an ex-Soviet state, has shut cultural and linguistic ties to NATO member Romania.

Russia’s two-month-old invasion of Ukraine has left 1000’s useless or injured, diminished cities and cities to rubble, and compelled greater than 5 million individuals to flee overseas.

Moscow calls its actions a “particular operation” to disarm Ukraine and defend it from fascists. Ukraine and the West name this a false pretext for an unprovoked struggle to grab territory.

Russia was compelled to tug its big invasion pressure again from Kyiv’s outskirts final month, however has since introduced new struggle aims to focus primarily on the east, sending extra troops there for an assault on two provinces the place it backs separatists.

Ukraine’s normal workers mentioned on Tuesday Russia’s offensive continued within the japanese Kharkiv area with Russian forces attempting to advance in the direction of a village referred to as Zavody.

Russia might be attempting to encircle closely fortified Ukrainian positions within the east, the British army mentioned in an replace on Tuesday, noting forces have been attempting to advance in the direction of the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

(Extra reporting by Reuters journalists; Writing by Peter Graff; Modifying by Angus MacSwan and Mark Heinrich)