Ukraine minister criticizes insufficient weapons supply


BERLIN, Germany - Western allies aren't supplying Ukraine with enough ammunition and air-defence missiles, Ukraine's foreign minister said in an interview with German media published Tuesday.

Russian attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv on Tuesday "clearly show the need to provide more anti-air defence systems, as well as more surface-to-air missiles," Dmytro Kuleba told Die Welt, Bild, Welt TV and Politico.

As for the ground war, "insufficient quantities of artillery munitions has been a problem from the start," he said.

Kuleba said he's still in talks with the German government about receiving Taurus cruise missiles, even after the lower house of the German parliament voted a week ago against delivering them to Ukraine.

"We'll never give up," he said.

Kuleba pushed back against fears raised in Germany that the missiles would be used to attack Moscow or other sites in Russia, saying they were needed to destroy Russian military infrastructure behind the front on Ukrainian soil.

Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced the delivery to Ukraine of six multi-purpose "Sea King" helicopters from the German army's fleet.

The minister spoke Tuesday after a meeting of the contact group of 50 countries and organisations supporting Ukraine's military defence against Russia's invasion.