US military aid alone won't be enough to defeat Russia – Ukraine's foreign minister

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has encouraged Western allies to increase weapons manufacturing to bolster aid for Ukraine, emphasising that renewed US military support is not enough to defeat Russia.

As reported by The Guardian, Kuleba said Ukraine's allies should move from "expressing condolences and sympathy to Ukrainians and promising to help with recovery, to preventing loss of life and destruction of the country".

The foreign minister said the resumption of US military aid after months of delay in Congress would not be enough to fight off Russia: "No single package can stop the Russians. What will stop the Russians is a united front of all of Ukraine and all of its partners."

Kuleba also urged the West to increase weapons production, as Ukraine has done, since Russia currently produces ten times more weapons, while Kyiv faces a shortage of air defence systems.

"When I see what Russia achieved in building up its defence industrial base in two years of the war, and what the West has achieved… I think something is wrong on the part of the West. The West has to realise the era of peace in Europe is over."

The minister said military industrial production by Ukraine's allies is expected to peak no sooner than late 2024.

In the same interview, Kuleba welcomed the decision by the US Congress to approve US$61 billion worth of additional funding for aid to Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a joint meeting at the same time to discuss further cooperation to support Ukraine.