BRUSSELS (Dispatches) - Ukraine’s allies announced delivery of new air defenses and recommitted to providing it robust, enduring military assistance at a meeting at NATO headquarters on Wednesday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, sitting next to his Ukrainian counterpart, opened the gathering of more than 50 countries by condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deadly missile attacks against Ukraine.
Germany announced that the first of four IRIS-T air defense systems had reached Ukraine. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht called it a “very important support for Ukraine in the fight against missile attacks.”
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Germany’s IRIS-T system was another sign of the commitment to provide air defenses to Ukraine, predating Putin’s latest missile strikes on the country.
The gathering in Brussels is the first big NATO meeting and the alliance has classified as a clear escalation of the war that started on Feb 24.
Attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines running under the Baltic Sea have contributed to heightening the tensions, although it remains unclear who was behind the explosions.
NATO warned Moscow on Tuesday that it would meet attacks on allies’ critical infrastructure with a “united and determined response.”
Stoltenberg pledged to boost the protection of critical infrastructure, saying NATO had already doubled its presence in the Baltic and North Seas to more than 30 ships supported by aircraft and undersea activities.
Speaking ahead of the two-day meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers, Stoltenberg said that while the alliance had not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture, it was vigilant and would proceed with its annual nuclear preparedness exercise next week.
He was referring to the “Steadfast Noon” exercise, in which NATO air forces practice the use of U.S. nuclear bombs based in Europe with training flights, without live weapons.
Cancelling the drills because of the war in Ukraine would send a “very wrong signal,” Stoltenberg said.