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Helmets, grenades, tanks and machine guns: These nations are sending defence supplies to Ukraine
France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Portugal, Netherlands and several other nations are sending arms and ammunition to Ukraine to fight the Russian attack.
As the United States and Germany, on Saturday, announced military aid to Ukraine, more and more nations are now stepping forward to help the war-hit nation with defence supplies as the Russian assault continues.
Several countries, including France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands, are ready to send military aid, including Stinger air defence missiles, anti-tank weapons and artillery ammunition to Ukraine to fight Russian forces.
Czech Republic- The Czech government will approve further defence material help for Ukraine which is facing Russia's aggression, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Sunday. Fiala said that he could not give any details on the shipment. His government will have a session to share the details later.
The Czech government sent machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth 188 million crowns ($8.57 million) on Saturday.
Greece- Greece is sending defence supplies to Ukraine in response to a request from the Ukrainian government, the prime minister's office said on Sunday. Two C-130 military transport planes will carry the supplies to Poland in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, it said. It will then be transported across the border to Ukraine.
Portugal- Portugal is to send military equipment to Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Sunday, joining other Western nations in dispatching help to the eastern European country under Russian attack. Lisbon is to dispatch "vests, helmets, night-vision goggles, grenades and ammunition of various calibres", the ministry said in a statement in the early hours on Twitter.
"Portugal supports Ukraine, which is defending itself against an unjustified, illegal and unacceptable invasion," Defence Minister Joao Cravinho said in another tweet.
Netherlands- The Netherlands will supply air defence rockets and anti-tank systems to Ukraine, the Dutch government said in letters to parliament on Saturday The Dutch agreed to a Ukrainian request to rapidly ship 200 Stinger air defence rockets and 50 "Panzerfaust 3" anti-tank weapons with 400 rockets, the letters said.
Belgium has pledged 2,000 machine guns and 3,800 tons of fuel on Saturday.
France- Paris, on Saturday, has decided to send defensive military equipment to Ukraine to support the country against Russia's invasion, a French army spokesman said on Saturday, adding that the issue of sending offensive arms was still under consideration
Germany- Berlin, which had a long-standing policy of not exporting weapons to war zones, approved the delivery of 400 rocket-propelled grenades from the Netherlands to Ukraine, the defence ministry in Berlin said on Saturday, confirming a shift in policy after it faced criticism for refusing to send weapons to Kyiv, unlike other Western allies.
US- The United States will provide Ukraine with an additional $350 million in new military equipment to fight off Russia's "brutal and unprovoked assault," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday.
The Western allies are also preparing to slap new sanctions, including banishing key Russia banks from the main global payments system. Russia has been facing immense criticism, especially from the western countries over the recent actions.
Russia, on Sunday, continued its blistering aggression into Ukraine and attacked the oil and gas facilities, sparking huge explosions, and some Russian forces entered the second city Kharkiv.
(With inputs from Reuters)
