Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday expressed his gratitude for promises of new defence aid, following a meeting of Ukraine's allies at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
"There will be new defence packages, including scarce artillery," said Zelensky in his evening video address on Tuesday referring to pledges made at the conference of the Ukraine Contact Group at the airbase in Germany's Rhineland Palatinate.
Zelensky specifically mentioned Germany and the additional armaments package worth €500 million ($543 million) promised by Berlin.
"I would also like to recognize Germany today for the announced defense package of half a billion euros," he said. "It includes artillery and armored vehicles. We greatly appreciate the German contribution to the protection of Ukrainian lives and our independence."
According to Zelensky, the main focus of weapons procurement continues to be on air defence, electronic warfare equipment and drones. Zelensky also praised other countries for joining a Czech initiative to procure ammunition.
The Czech Republic has started to purchase ammunition worldwide for the Ukrainian army's defence needs. The initiative is now being supported financially by a number of other Western countries.
However, Zelensky also called for the accelerated delivery of the promised Western fighter jets.
"Our partners have the appropriate systems. We need to expedite the F-16 program as much as possible too," he said. The aircraft are intended to help strengthen air defence.
Zelensky pointed out that Russia has recently been increasingly attacking border regions from the air - not only with drones and missiles, but also with guided glide bombs dropped from aeroplanes.
"The Russian army is trying to burn our border villages to the ground. From the beginning of March to the present day, Russian aviation has dropped almost 200 guided bombs on the communities of Sumy region alone. Targeting villages, cities, and civilian infrastructure," he said.
At the Ramstein conference, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin told the more than 50 defence leaders from Europe and around the world, "The Ukrainian people will not let Putin prevail, and neither will we. As [US] President [Joe] Biden has said, we will not walk away."
"Today, Ukraine's survival is in danger, and America's security is at risk, and they don't have a day to waste and we don't have a day to spare, either," he said.