Zelenskyy calls on Western allies to honor promises on weapons supplies to Ukraine

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies on Sunday, January 12, to honor all promises to supply Ukraine with weapons, including those to counter Russian air attacks.

Russians poured hundreds of strikes and 700 aerial bombs on Ukraine in a week - Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that over the past week, Russian troops had poured hundreds of strikes on Ukraine, nearly 700 aerial bombs, and over 600 war drones.

Ukrainian air defenses downed 60 out of 94 drones launched by Russia overnight, the air force said on January 12. The air force reported the loss of 34 drones, referring to Ukraine's use of electronic warfare to jam and redirect Russian UAVs.

"Every week, the Russian war continues only because of the Russian army's ability to terrorize Ukraine and use its superiority in the sky. That is why it is important that our partners implement the agreements we already have. The decisions of the NATO summit in Washington, as well as the decisions taken at the Ramstein meetings on air defense for Ukraine, have not yet been fully implemented, Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram account.

"Russia does not stop its wars at will; it can only be forced to peace" - Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy called on Ukraine's allies in the West to fulfill the agreements on weapons supplies. The Ukrainian president emphasized that not all decisions taken by NATO and at the Ramstein meetings have been fully implemented. 

At the same time, Russia has not stopped its attacks on Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, "We have talked with our partners, and in particular with the United States, about the possibility of granting Ukraine licenses to produce air defense systems and missiles for them. There is nothing impossible in this, and it will only strengthen our joint ability to guarantee security. This is exactly the kind of strength that makes lasting peace possible. Russia does not stop its wars at will; it can only be forced to peace. And part of this coercion must be a sufficient quantity and quality of air defense."

Ukraine's president this week stated he had discussed with Western partners and the United States the possibility of granting Ukraine licenses to produce air defense systems and missiles.

Media: Burbock and Pistorius push for more aid; Scholz resists

Speaking to the media in Saudi Arabia, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Germany should provide Ukraine with more military assistance than currently planned in the country's budget.

The German government has budgeted four billion euros for military aid to Ukraine in the 2025 budget. However, before the February 23 Bundestag elections, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius are seeking an additional three billion euros for arms supplies to Ukraine, according to Der Spiegel. The newspaper claims that the office of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is impeding this.

According to Der Spiegel, the implementation of this plan stopped in early January because the Chancellor's office unofficially made it clear that it did not support the allocation of additional funds to Kyiv. Allegedly, the decision stemmed from the Chancellor's office's reluctance to test the future German government.

Scholz's office also sees no need for immediate action, deeming the roughly 4 billion euros allocated in the preliminary budget for 2025 for military assistance to Ukraine sufficient, and suggesting the possibility of using the $50 billion loan from the G7, which could come from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.

Germany has approved the list of weapons to be sent to Ukraine, which was compiled shortly after the collapse of the German government coalition in November 2024, including three Iris-T air defense batteries with missiles, Patriot missiles, ten wheeled howitzers, and artillery ammunition, the publication notes.

The newspaper reported that the German Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry justified the need for additional assistance by stating that previous planning could not have anticipated Kyiv's urgent needs. In particular, Ukraine's situation has deteriorated significantly in recent months due to the acceleration of the Russian offensive, and after Donald Trump won the US presidential election, it became unclear whether Washington would continue to provide military support to Ukraine after the inauguration on January 20.

Ramstein meeting

On January 9, the 25th meeting of the Ramstein Contact Group took place. Rustem Umerov, the Defense Minister of Ukraine, stated that they expected the meeting to approve roadmaps on strategic goals and key military assistance needs until at least the end of 2027.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on partners to urgently transfer air defense systems after Russia's latest deadly air attack on Zaporizhzhia.

At the Ramstein meeting, the head of state also supported the idea of deploying military personnel from partner countries to Ukraine. The President assured the partners that he was trying to end the Russian-Ukrainian war “with dignity.”

After the 25th Ramstein meeting on January 9, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the new White House administration would decide on the future of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.