Ukraine's allies stand at ‘moment of maximum opportunity'
The US president has threatened to impose 'very severe' tariffs on Russia if it does not agree a ceasefire by September 2, 50 days on from his announcement that he would sell 'top-of-the-line' weapons to Nato that could then be given to Ukraine.
Speaking at the 29th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), Mr Healey told allies gathered from 52 nations: 'This is a moment of maximum opportunity.
'Last week, President Trump announced a new plan for large scale Nato weapons transfers, and committed to getting these, he said, quickly distributed to the battlefield.
'The UK backs this policy. We will play our full part in its success.'
Mr Healey added: 'Alongside this new agreement to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself, President Trump also started the clock on a 50-day deadline for Putin to agree to peace or to face crippling economic sanctions.
'And as members of this UDCG, we need to step up, in turn, a 50-day drive to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and to help push Putin to the negotiating table.'
The UK Defence Secretary chaired the meeting for the fourth time, also his third time co-chairing with German defence minister Boris Pistorius.
The group, which brings together defence ministers and officials from Ukraine's allies, was chaired by the US until Mr Trump came to power and began rowing back on American support for Kyiv and European security.
As the UK and Germany led calls for European allies to step up their support for Kyiv, Mr Healey said the two countries have 'agreed to partner in providing critical air defence missiles to Ukraine'.
His German counterpart Mr Pistorius, meanwhile, said the pair were involved in an initiative to replenish ammunition for anti-aircraft guns.
'We will, together with our British friends, provide 220,000 rounds of 35 millimetre ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft gun system at short notice, financed by Germany,' the German defence minister said.
The drive to step up support for Ukraine comes after the UK revealed it has spent some £150 million on air defence and artillery for the war-torn nation over the past two months.
At least £700 million will be spent on similar support over the course of the year, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Elsewhere on Monday, the Foreign Office announced 137 fresh sanctions on Russian entities, targeting the oil and gas sector.
The new sanctions target 135 oil tankers involved in Mr Putin's 'shadow fleet' operation, responsible for illicitly carrying cargo since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'New sanctions will further dismantle Putin's shadow fleet and drain Russia's war chest of its critical oil revenues.
'As Putin continues to stall and delay on serious peace talks, we will not stand idly by. We will continue to use the full might of our sanctions regime to ratchet up economic pressure at every turn and stand side by side with Ukraine.'
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According to Pashinyan, interest in outsourcing control of Armenian roads has been expressed not only by the United States but also by the European Union, with China also showing investment interest. Below are the key points from economist Suren Parsyan's interview. In Armenia, the focus is not on economic benefit, but on preventing aggression 'The current Armenian authorities are attempting to ensure a certain level of security through economic projects. Their logic is as follows: if we attract an American investor to the region, it could help deter Azerbaijani aggression against Syunik.' Syunik is Armenia's southern province, which borders Azerbaijan. It is through this region, specifically the Meghri community, that the proposed road connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan is expected to pass. 'In Armenia, the focus is not on investment or economic gain, but on preventing possible aggression. 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If the United States succeeds in gaining oversight of China's 'Middle Corridor', it will be in a position to exert influence over China's economic growth and infrastructure initiatives. China views the route through Meghri as a viable alternative, so the U.S. interest in controlling this overland [unblocked] route is far from coincidental.' The US proposal introduces 'new rules of the game' 'The American proposal on unblocking the region fits into the logic of the MAGA [Make America Great Again] movement. The idea is that the US should have economic interests everywhere — investing and profiting globally. Washington is attempting to reframe its foreign policy in terms of economic projects, to revitalise its external engagement while simultaneously reaping certain economic dividends.' All regional players — Iran, Russia, and Turkey — are interested in unblocking transport links, but on the condition that the routes are under their own control. And now a third party — the United States — enters the picture, not as a regional actor, and declares: 'I'm part of the project too.' 'This introduces new rules of the game in the region. We must understand how realistic the implementation of the American proposal is given the presence of such actors.' 'If we try to tie the functioning of the road to just one country, others will undermine the project. If the route is controlled solely by an American company, it will become a target for both Iran and Russia. We must try to find a format in which they do not see the project as a threat to their national security. We need to strike a balance.' Transit to Europe via Georgia remains more profitable 'If the region is unblocked, the route through Armenia will become an alternative, not the main one. Any overland transport is more expensive than maritime transport. Maritime transit to Europe via Georgia is the shortest and least costly option. In this regard, Georgia holds a competitive advantage, and it already has a developed infrastructure.' 'Had this situation arisen in the mid-1990s, when there were no pipelines or railways, Armenia might have played a more significant role. But now that infrastructure is in place, we must accept that Armenia will be seen as an alternative, not a primary, route. The Georgian corridor will remain the main one, and only in case of problems there will cargo flows be diverted to the Armenian route.' 'The primary player in East–West freight transport will be China, through its Belt and Road Initiative and various infrastructure projects. I find it unlikely that Chinese companies or officials will transport cargo via an 'American corridor', given the strategic rivalry between China and the United States. Those same Chinese companies have already invested billions in Georgia. China views Georgia as its 'corridor country'. Beijing's objective is to deliver goods to a Georgian port and then transport them by sea to Europe. Routing goods through southern Armenia and then across Turkey would be more expensive.' 'As for Central Asian states, their use of the unblocked Armenian route will depend on their export destinations. If they are aiming to ship goods to Europe, the shortest path is still through Georgia — to a Georgian port and then on to European markets.' Armenia's presence as an alternative could strengthen Ankara and Baku's hand in talks with Tbilisi 'We often hear complaints that the Georgian side creates obstacles for our freight transport. In reality, Azerbaijani and Turkish companies face similar issues in Georgia. The country frequently reviews and increases transit tariffs. At present, Georgia sets the terms, knowing that Turkey and Azerbaijan have no alternative routes. But if Armenia emerges as an alternative corridor, it could strengthen the negotiating positions of Turkey and Azerbaijan. They would then be in a better position to demand more favourable transit terms, and so forth.' Ankara's goals are also more political than economic 'Among these goals are establishing a degree of political control over Armenia and weakening Iran's influence in Nakhichevan. Moreover, the launch of the road would allow Turkey to partially control Iranian freight transport along the North–South transport corridor. Yes, if the route through southern Armenia is unblocked, Tehran will lose its leverage over Nakhichevan. However, the financial losses in reality would be rather limited. The Iranian side reacts sensitively to the idea of an extraterritorial road, as Armenia is viewed as an alternative route to the north. Whenever Iran faces difficulties with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia has always been a fallback option.' Follow us – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Armenia will serve as an alternative route
