Ukraine's defense minister says its military has received everything on its 'wish list to Santa' as Western allies supply weapons, tanks and warplanes: report

Kenneth Niemeyer
Updated ·2 min read
ukraine militart
Soldiers prepare to head out near the Bakhmut front lines with Russia in Chasov Yar, Ukraine, on January 22, 2023.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

  • Ukrainian defense Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said the country got everything on its "wish list to Santa."

  • Baltic states and Poland have agreed to supply Ukraine with jets, according to the Associated Press.

  • Reznikov said the planes were necessary to prepare for a potential Russian offensive on February 24.

A top Ukrainian defense official said the country's military got everything on its "wish list to Santa," a quip on Western allies shipping over much-needed military weaponry as the war with Russia shows no signs of stalling.

Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said the country had already received what it asked for from Western leaders at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

He said the country has yet to receive the warplanes, but the logistics are being worked out and countries, such as Poland and the Baltic states, have agreed to send warplanes to aid Ukraine, the outlet reported.

"There will be planes, too. The question is just what kind exactly ... Consider that this mission is already completed," Reznikov said at the press conference, according to the outlet.

The Ukrainian military is still standing nearly a year after Russia's incursion, and its success has been attributed to the readiness training implemented by the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Insider previously reported.

However, Ukraine military officials say the country's military needs more jets to challenge Russia in the air, the AP reported. Reznikof told reporters the planes were necessary to prepare for an anticipated Russian offensive on February 24, the one-year anniversary of the conflict, according to the AP.

"Not all Western weapons will arrive by then, but we have the resources and reserves to help stabilize and sustain the offensive," Reznikov said, per the outlet.

Western leaders have previously rejected Ukraine's demand for weapons such as long-range missiles, tanks, and warplanes, only to subsequently reverse course, the AP reported. Canada, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States have all announced they will supply Ukraine with tanks, the report says.

"Not all Western weapons will arrive by then, but we have the resources and reserves to help stabilize and sustain the offensive," Reznikov said, the AP reported.

The Kremlin has criticized Western countries offering weapons to aid Ukraine and claimed that the assistance will prolong the conflict, and has characterized NATO as a "direct participant," according to the outlet.

The AP reported that Reznikof told reporters, "I absolutely boldly claim that we have become a de facto NATO country. We only have a de jure part left."

Read the original article on Insider