NATO countries agree to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine
Russia admits "significant troop losses" as Donbass prepares for new offensive
Ibrahim Al-TarikMay 8, 2025
NATO member states have agreed to supply Ukraine with new types of modern weapons, alliance officials said, as Kyiv prepares for a new Russian offensive in the east of the country.
The commitment came after the Ukrainian foreign minister appealed to Western countries to hurry up with new deliveries, otherwise "many people will die because this aid comes too late."
Six weeks after Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine, Moscow's forces have largely withdrawn from the area north of Kyiv after failing to take the capital, but Ukrainian and Western officials said they are regrouping and gearing up for a push into the eastern Donbass region.
This has prompted Kyiv to urge western countries to supply more heavy weapons, tanks and more modern systems. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he would use a NATO meeting in Brussels to ask for planes, missiles, armored vehicles and heavy air defense systems, among other things.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told reporters after the meeting that member states had expressed their support for the delivery of more weapons.
"There was support for countries to supply Ukraine with new and heavier equipment to respond to new threats from Russia," she said. "And we have agreed to help Ukraine's armed forces, on a bilateral basis, transition from their Soviet-era equipment to standard NATO equipment.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington is considering sending "new systems" to Ukraine.
"We will not allow anything to stand in the way of Ukrainians getting what they need," he said. "We are currently examining everything, not just what we have provided... [but also whether it is additional systems that would make a difference."
The pledge of more military aid came after Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, admitted that Russia suffered "significant troop losses" during its invasion of Ukraine, which he described as "a great tragedy for Peskov
said Russia withdrew from Kyiv and Chernihiv in central Ukraine last week to "defuse tensions in those regions and show that Russia wants to really ready to create comfortable conditions for further negotiations". However, fighting in Donbass would continue, he added.
NATO member countries provided Ukraine with anti-tank missiles, drones and other defensive weapons before and during the war. However, they have refused to supply other classes of weapons or impose a no-fly zone, as Kyiv has demanded, citing the risk of Russia being drawn into a wider war.
Kuleba subsequently said he was "cautiously optimistic" that alliance states would honor his request, but warned delays would result in more deaths.
"Either you help us now, and I'm talking days...or your help will come too late," Kuleba said. "Many people will die ... precisely because this help comes too late."
He added: "I've been very specific about the requests and the timeframe in which they should be fulfilled. I'm curious to see how the allies will react."
Ukraine has warned that Russia is preparing a new offensive in Donbass aimed at seizing areas in the two administrative regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that separatists have partially occupied since a Moscow-backed uprising in 2014.
The Ukrainian military authorities on Wednesday called on residents of the regions to leave "while they still have the opportunity".
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said the allies had agreed to further increase support for Ukraine immediately and in the medium and long term.
"It was a clear message from today's meeting that allies should do more and be ready are to do more to deliver more equipment. They recognize and recognize the urgency," he said.
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly on Thursday voted to suspend Russia from the Geneva Human Rights Council, giving Moscow a new international rebuke over the invasion of Ukraine and alleged atrocities.
Ninety-three UN members voted to suspend Russia - the first imposed on a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
However, 24 UN members, including China, Iran, Bolivia and Kazakhstan, voted against Russia's suspension. Another 58 countries, including India, Indonesia and Egypt abstained, showing a multitude of countries either side with Moscow or remain neutral in the face of the ongoing military conflict.
