Ukraine is under increasing pressure over ammunition shortages.
Munich:
President Volodymyr Zelensky told a defense conference on Saturday that a lack of long-range missiles and artillery shells was limiting Ukraine’s counterattack against Russia and reiterated his call for more weapons.
Later in the day, delegates also discussed the situation in Gaza, with some giving little hope of a lasting solution to end Israel’s war with Hamas.
Zelenskiy’s call to 180 leaders and defense ministers at the Munich Security Conference came as Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw from the frontline city of Avdievka to avoid being surrounded.
“The Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat,” he said, adding that “our actions are limited only by the adequacy of our forces and the length of our range…The situation in Avdievka proves this.”
“Keeping Ukraine artificially short of weapons, particularly artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war.”
As the war enters its third year, Ukraine is facing increasing pressure from ammunition shortages.
There are also questions about the long-term future of Western aid, with a potential $60 billion military aid package stalled in Washington since last year amid wrangling in Congress.
Seeking to allay concerns about the United States’ endurance to help Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said after talks with Zelensky that the United States would not allow political brinksmanship to hinder support for Kyiv.
“This is about our support for Ukraine and we must be steadfast and not play political games,” she said.
Zelensky said he believed in the “wise decision” of the US Congress and expressed his gratitude to Joe Biden for his “full support” after his phone call with the US president.
In a White House statement, Biden blamed Congress for inaction, which has left Ukrainian soldiers having to ration ammunition and deal with dwindling supplies before withdrawing troops from Avdivka.
Israel-Hamas war takes center stage
In addition to the war in Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and Hamas has heightened concerns among delegates gathered in Munich.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani addressed the meeting and offered a bleak assessment of negotiations seeking a ceasefire in the more than four-month-old Gaza conflict.
“The situation over the past few days has been really not promising,” said Al-Thani, whose country played a key role in the mediation.
He warned that “time is not on our side” with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan due to begin on March 10.
He warned that failure to reach a deal could lead to a wider escalation in the region, as hundreds of thousands of Gazans face a dire humanitarian situation.
Some 1.4 million people have been packed into the southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border as Israel prepares to invade the region again.
The Gaza war began with an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli data.
According to Israeli data, militants have also taken about 250 people hostage, 130 of whom are still in Gaza, and 30 of them are presumed dead.
Israel’s retaliatory attacks in Gaza have killed at least 28,858 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia also highlighted in Munich the catastrophic situation facing civilians in Gaza.
However, diplomats seeking an end to the conflict say the coming months may present a unique opportunity to end the cycle of violence.
“Extraordinary opportunity”
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would have an “extraordinary opportunity” to normalize relations with nearly all Arab countries if the Gaza conflict ends.
Blinken has made several trips to the Middle East since the war began and has been negotiating with key figures in the region to seek an armistice and a “lasting end” to Israel’s war with Hamas.
However, Blinken said in Munich that “creating a Palestinian state is a top priority – one that also ensures Israel’s security”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who held talks with Blinken, urged Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel, saying it would be a victory against Hamas.
He said that when Hamas launched the attack on October 7, one of its goals was to halt the normalization efforts that had been underway before the war.
“That’s why continuing to work with Saudi Arabia will clearly be a victory over what Hamas is doing,” he added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
