Ukraine allies need to 'dig deeper' on military aid, U.S. urges

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin urged allies on Friday to dig deeper to support Ukraine at the start of a meeting of dozens of defence ministers at an air base in Germany, as pressure piled up on Berlin to provide tanks to Kyiv.

NATO and defence leaders from roughly 50 countries including Canada are meeting at Ramstein Air Base, the latest in a series of arms-pledging conferences since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 11 months ago.

"Russia is regrouping, recruiting and trying to re-equip," Austin said at the start of the meeting.

"This is not a moment to slow down. It's a time to dig deeper. The Ukrainian people are watching us," he said without making specific reference to tanks.

Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the start of the meeting virtually, thanked allies for their support, but said more was needed and more quickly.

"We have to speed up. Time must become our weapon," said Zelenskyy.

The United States announced an additional $2.5 billion US in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday, a package that will include more armoured vehicles and ammunition.

Canada's Defence Minister Anita Anand a day earlier announced that Ottawa was donating 200 Canadian-made armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Ukraine.

But the major focus is on whether Germany will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine or at least approve their transfer from third countries.

Germany has become one of Ukraine's top military supporters in response to Russia's invasion, overcoming a taboo rooted in its bloody 20th-century history, but it has not yet agreed to send tanks or allow other countries to send their own German-made tanks.

Leopard tanks are seen as especially suitable for Ukraine as they are widely in use, meaning several countries could each chip in some of their tanks to support Ukraine.

This would also make it easier for Ukraine to manage maintenance and crew training.

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Critics say German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ruling SPD are too slow, waiting for allies to act first instead of assuming Germany's responsibility as the Western power closest to Ukraine.