Ukraine strains to shore up aid as war's second winter looms

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — The strain on Ukrainian officials was easy to see at a high-level meeting of defense chiefs of its main backers held in Germany this week.

Facing a languishing offensive that is running out of time before winter, Ukraine found its allies richly praising its bravery on the battlefield but short on pledges to deliver the sort of aid Kyiv says it needs to defeat Russian forces.

“Our commitment remains unwavering,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley, said at the 15th meeting of what is known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a gathering of more than 50 nations aimed at procuring military aid for Ukraine. “Behind every weapon, we should all remember, there is a brave Ukrainian soldier and their resolve is equally unwavering.”

In front of the media on the sun-drenched terrace of a hall at the colossal Ramstein Air Base, Ukraine’s new defense chief, Rustem Umerov, hurried through a spare two-minute speech at the conclusion of the meeting that contained no new major pledges.

“We held productive meetings,” he said, reading in English off an iPad. “We are actively preparing for the winter.”

Umerov’s first international appearance since being appointed follows a dramatic reshuffle of Ukraine’s military leadership after several corruption scandals that undermined confidence during a critical time for the country’s survival. Umerov was brought in two weeks ago, and six deputy defense ministers were fired Monday, the eve of the meeting at Ramstein.

The shakeup comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces the biggest struggle of his life off the battlefield.

More than 18 months into the Russian invasion, he is trying to convince his foreign backers to continue supporting Ukraine amid a sluggish offensive, looming winter and waning international attention.

As President Joe Biden urged world leaders not to abandon Ukraine in its grinding war against Russia as he spoke at the United Nations on Tuesday, some 4,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, his defense secretary said Washington and its allies were moving “heaven and earth” to get Ukraine what it needs to defeat the Kremlin’s army.

Still, while promises to supply Ukraine with more tanks, missiles and ammunition came Tuesday, there was no mention of weaponry that was discussed by analysts and the media ahead of the gathering of the kind that Kyiv says could really give it an upper hand against heavily-mined and fortified Russian defense lines.  They included longer-distance weapons, such as U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), with a range of up to 190 miles, and Germany’s Taurus cruise missiles, with an even greater range of more than 300 miles, as well as Swedish Gripen fighter jets that could help Ukraine provide its ground troops with the desperately-needed air cover.

In fact, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at Ramstein on Tuesday that the 31 M1 Abrams tanks, promised by the U.S. some nine months ago, are just now about to enter Ukraine.

In all, since the beginning of the war, Washington and its allies have pledged more than $76 billion in direct security assistance to Kyiv, he said.

Although Washington has celebrated what it calls a “tangible progress” in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, it also appeared at odds with Kyiv about just how much time Ukraine had to keep its campaign going. Kyiv pushed back against comments made by Milley earlier this month that it had as few as 30 days of fighting weather left.

At Ramstein, Milley appeared to walk back those comments, saying that, in fact, there was “plenty of fighting weather left” and that there was “no intention whatsoever” by the Ukrainians to stop fighting during the winter. He also acknowledged that Ukraine is in for a “tough fight” trying to expel all the Russian troops from its occupied territories.

It’s a fight Washington has long said Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes will tire out Ukraine’s supporters. The Russian leader indicated last week he was bracing for a long war, as he held talks with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un amid Western concerns that Pyongyang could help arm Moscow’s shell-deprived troops.

Speaking at the U.N. shortly after the Ramstein gathering, Biden said the Kremlin is counting on the world growing “weary” of the war, but admitted that the U.S., “like every nation in the world,” wants it to end, and strongly supports Ukraine “in its efforts to bring about a diplomatic resolution.”

Mention of a “diplomatic resolution” comes ahead of what promises to be a bruising 2024 presidential election, with some voters fatigued by support for Kyiv and Republicans increasingly resistant to seemingly unlimited aid for Ukraine.

Yet, Zelenskyy has so far ruled out any diplomatic solution, refusing to negotiate with Russia as long as Putin is in power. In fact, the Ukrainian leader has intensified Ukraine’s efforts to bring the war home to Russia in a clear message that Kyiv intends to keep up the fight.

Despite vowing to stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” Biden may be facing an uphill battle to keep Americans interested in the war in Europe, with recent polls hinting at waning levels of public support and the 2024 presidential election looming in the distance.

Biden will host Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday, where more aid for Kyiv could be announced.

Regardless of any possible discussions and disagreements that may be happening behind the scenes, Austin sought to round out the day by stressing that the war was about more than a fight for Ukraine.

“It’s also a fight for a world where autocrats can’t just rewrite borders by force,” he said, as he closed out Ramstein’s session for the 15th time. “It’s a fight to avoid a grim new era of chaos and tyranny.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com