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The United States brings together 40 countries to increase the shipment of weapons to Ukraine: Germany gives in and sends tanks

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met on Tuesday at the US base in Ramstein, Germany, with military representatives from 40 countries.

The objective is “remove heaven and earth” to increase the flow of weapons to Ukraine and Russia lose the war, according to Austin. The meeting seeks to get more countries to commit to sending more weapons, especially the heavy weaponry that kyiv has been asking for weeks before what is coming in the Donbas, where it is feared that Russia will launch a large-scale attack.

Austin said at the beginning of the meeting: “Ukraine believes that it can win the war and here we all think the same”.

Ukrainian troops on the Eastern Front. Photo: AFP

Austin traveled to kyiv on Sunday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with President Volodimir Zelensky just as Moscow was already openly confirming that its goal is conquer all of southern Ukraine.

The country would be amputated without several of its largest cities, its Zadorija nuclear power plant (the largest in Europe) and cities such as Odessa. Russia would have territorial continuity to Moldovawhere almost 15,000 Russian soldiers are stationed in the Transnitria region, outside the control of the Moldovan government.

Ukraine is gradually getting what it asked for. various governments they already send tanks, artillery and anti-aircraftnot just light weapons.

Even Germany, which until a few days ago said that sending heavy weapons could cause the war to spread throughout Europe, announced this Tuesday a first shipment of tanks Gepard type with anti-aircraft defense capability.

tank air defense gepard germany war ukraine

Ukraine needs artillery and weapons with which to fire from a distance to prevent Russian artillery from pushing back its lines.

Weapons to fight in the Donbas

Austin told Ramstein what the United States and its European partners are looking for: “We want to see Russia weakened in such a way that it can’t do things like invade Ukraine again.” Russia continues to gain ground little by little in the Donbas in the face of the Ukrainian inability to cope with Moscow’s heavy weapons and aviation.

In addition to attacking the cities of the region to affect the morale of the Ukrainians, the russian army continuously crushes the ukrainian front with artillery and multiple rocket launchers, acknowledges the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense itself.

For that you need heavy weapons, to respond to those attacks with weapons of similar power and hinder Russian movements. Russian forces also bomb communication hubs and railways to prevent the transport of Western weapons to the east of the country.

The Ramstein summit coincides with a visit to Moscow by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Portuguese Antonio Guterres.

Ukrainian soldiers in position, in Eastern Ukraine.  Photo: AFP

Ukrainian soldiers in position, in Eastern Ukraine. Photo: AFP

“What interests us is to find the means to create the conditions for an effective dialogue, to create the conditions for a ceasefire as soon as possible,” he said in Moscow. Then he will travel to kyiv.

It is the Guterres’ first trip to the area since the war began. The United Nations said on Tuesday that the 5.2 million Ukrainians who have already had to take refuge in other countries could be more than 8 million by the end of the year.

Brussels, special for Clarín

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