Ukraine seeks warplanes at NATO talks, allies fret over ammunition

Brussels, February 14

Ukraine on Tuesday renewed its appeal to Western countries for fighter jets to help frustrate Moscow’s invasion, but the United States and its NATO allies and partners are more concerned about Kyiv’s needs for large amounts of ammunition as the war with Russia is set to enter its second year.

Ahead of the meeting of the Ukraine contact group at NATO headquarters, Ukraine made its requirements clear.

Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, when asked what military aid his country is seeking now, showed reporters an image of a fighter jet.

Questioned about where he hoped they might come from, Reznikov said only: “From the sky.” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed hard for combat planes last week when he visited London, Paris and Brussels on just his second foreign trip since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022. That plea came days after Western allies pledged to provide Kyiv with tanks.

What NATO allies have on their mind, though, is how to keep up a steady supply of ammunition to Ukraine without depleting their own stockpiles. — AP