Ambassador of Lithuania to Ukraine the war has entered the stage of mutual observation and its outcome will be determined by resources

Supporters of Ukraine are focused on keeping the supply of ammunition and weapons to Ukraine, although Kyiv is asking for fighter jets to repel a Russian attack Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels with more than 50 supporters of Kiev that Ukraine is focused on building an air platform and is considering who else can supply tanks and ammunition.

Lithuanian Ambassador to NATO Deividas Matulionis and Lithuanian Ambassador to Ukraine Valdemaras Sarapinas spoke about this in the LRT program "Theme of the Day" - The Washington Post wrote on Tuesday that the United States has warned the Ukrainian administration that it must bring about a turning point in this war against Russia.

How would you explain such an announcement, what could it mean? D Matulionis: In essence, this means that we must help Ukraine until as long as she really wins this war and regains all her territories, this is a clear statement, there is no doubt about it.

This is our support, that is, the support of the countries of the Alliance and not only As you rightly noted, 54 countries are currently participating in the so-called Ramstein program, and not only NATO countries, but also other countries are helping Ukraine with suitable weapons, ammunition and shells.

The message is very clear - Ukraine is asking for fighter jets, and aviation was one of the main topics during President Vladimir Zalentsky's recent trip to Europe.

What are the chances that his request will be processed so quickly that the fighters will be able to contribute to the turning point in the war that everyone is waiting for? D Matiulionis: I believe that there should be no taboos, at least that is our position, and what will be the final position of the Alliance countries that have and can supply fighters, I cannot say today.

- What is your general impression of the results of the meeting of the so-called Ramstein format and Defense Minister Reznikov's visit to Brussels? D Matioulionis: There is a so-called tank coalition - the Leopard 1 coalition, the Leopard 2 coalition.

Germany, by the way, plays a really important role in mobilizing all countries that have these very modern tanks to deliver them to Ukraine as soon as possible, this spring All other air defense systems that are supplied are also very important for Ukraine.

Believe me, the commitment is certainly great and while not all countries contribute the same - some perhaps a little less, some a lot more - I think that's a good sign At the beginning of this year and on the anniversary of the war, I think The West will show that support will not only remain, but will continue.

- Various intelligence services describe Russia's ambitions and potential to take the lead at the front On the one hand, they say that Russia also intends to intensify the offensive, and on the other hand, they note that its stocks, including ammunition, are also not unlimited.

What are the forecasts regarding Russia's capabilities at the moment? D Matulionis: At the moment they are not very clear and not very clearly defined, because in fact quite a lot of reservists have been mobilized, their readiness is much worse than at the beginning of the war, there are also some losses of equipment, and no one will deny them, and restoring them is not as easy as restoring ammunition, and the number of missiles, accordingly, is much less than it was before.

But don't underestimate the enemy Moreover, it is necessary to help Ukraine now so that a serious breakthrough can be made.

- Now I would like to address the Lithuanian Ambassador to Ukraine Ambassador, how is this meeting in Ramstein received in Ukraine, what is expected, what are the results? V.

Sarapinas: I would say that a lot is expected, because the last few weeks and the previous meetings in Ramstein give grounds for optimism, because in fact a number of countries have announced new military assistance packages, including armored vehicles and, finally, heavy tanks, artillery and air defense facilities Indeed, this cannot but rejoice.

At the same time, it must be recognized that all the amounts of aid declared to date are much less than Ukraine's needs Of course, everything would have been much more efficient if it had been done much earlier.

In my opinion, The main reason for the delay and inadequacy of Western military support so far is that some of our Western allies, allies of Ukraine, are still undecided on what the outcome of this war as a whole should be They were still haunted by the fear of Russia's defeat, God forbid, of what would happen next, of the uncertainty of what would happen after that defeat.

I would like to believe that both the recent visit of President Zelensky and these meetings in the Ramstein format should certainly dispel all these doubts Everyone must come to a final agreement and believe in what Ukraine clearly states - its goal is to return the borders of Ukraine in 1991.

If there are negotiations, then only if Ukraine will be able to dictate terms I think everyone should realize that the success of Ukraine is connected not only with its future, but also with the future of all Europe and the whole world.

- Western countries, on the one hand, say that their support for Ukraine will not stop, and that they will continue to provide as much assistance as needed On the other hand, there are signals that the US administration, for example, according to the American press, has warned Ukraine that it must achieve a turning point in the war, as if it does not want to achieve it itself.

To what extent do these calls and wishes correspond to Ukraine's capabilities in terms of arms supplies? V Sarapinas: The main problem is that the supply of these weapons from the West has so far been insufficient and very belated.

Despite the huge losses suffered by the Russians, which they themselves ignore, they stabilized the front and even went on the offensive in places The Kremlin has ordered the army to fully occupy the Lugansk and Donetsk regions by the end of March, according to their administrative territories, and similarly to Zaporozhye, and there are signals that Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkov will be attacked again.

The situation at sea is the same: in the Black Sea, Ukrainian forces are preventing the Russians from approaching, and in the Sea of ​​Azov, unfortunately, the latter have taken control of all Ukrainian ports I think it's just not right that in the last 2-3 months, unfortunately, the initiative that was taken last fall was again given away and the orcs were allowed to recover, regroup, and they increased their personnel, military equipment and weapons where - something by a good third, and there is a constant secret mobilization, and it looks like there will be an open mobilization soon.

Up to 1 5 million people are said to be called up this year.

All this means that Ukraine will continue to have to withstand heavy attacks from the Russians Of course, the Ukrainians themselves are also trying to build up resources, both human and weapons, and they, of course, will try to turn the tide of the war in their favor, but more weapons are needed.

As I said, the answer to the question of when this will end with a Ukrainian victory must be sought in Western countries This means that also here in Lithuania.

The war has entered, I would say, the stage of mutual observation, and its outcome will be determined, in the first place, in my opinion, by resources, so we must plan for long-term, permanent military support for Ukraine, and the Russians, of course, must know that military support West will only increase and that any new supplies from the West will not bring them victories, but rather thousands of new victims,.