Ukraine’s new protection minister, Rustem Umerov, has known as on overseas allies to offer “heavy weaponry, heavy weaponry and, once more, heavy weaponry” in his first public tackle since being confirmed to his publish by Ukraine’s parliament final week.
On Friday, Umerov instructed the Yalta European Technique summit in Kyiv that Ukraine is “grateful” for all of the Western help thus far however warned that Kyiv’s forces will want extra to beat the “large challenges” they face in driving Russian troops in another country.
Umerov was chosen by President Volodymyr Zelensky to exchange the outgoing protection minister, Oleksii Reznikov, whose 22 months within the publish was tarnished by a collection of corruption scandals involving the nation’s army. Reznikov resigned from his publish final weekend at Zelensky’s request, ending months of hypothesis about his future.
“It is a big honor and big accountability for me to carry this place in these historic and essential occasions for Ukraine,” Umerov mentioned Friday. “The best precedence for us immediately is our warriors: their lives, security, dignity.”
ANDRII NESTERENKO/AFP through Getty Photographs
Umerov takes workplace at a pivotal second, with Ukrainian forces searching for a breakthrough within the nation’s southeast that they hope will precipitate a collapse of Russian defenses throughout the area. The operation has been progressing slowly, prompting concern amongst overseas allies.
The brand new minister mentioned overseas army help shall be amongst his foremost priorities. “Weaponry: We want it immediately. We want it now. We want it extra.”
He went on: “I take this chance to handle our worldwide companions. We’re stronger collectively. We’re grateful for all of the help supplied. However we have to proceed our conflict coalition efforts to win this conflict.”
Umerov additionally identified that “Ukrainian warriors immediately are sacrificing their lives for the core values of democracy and freedom. They want backup out of your facet, the companions. This backup is weapons.”
He continued: “Our new nationwide safety and protection technique of Ukraine is predicated on the victory doctrine of the president of Ukraine and new challenges and realities. Our purpose is to change into a NATO member. Little question that at the present time will quickly come, hopefully.
“Our fundamental purpose is NATO membership,” the brand new minister added. “We’re in a really powerful neighborhood. We see that the Black Sea can be being encircled by the enemy. We expect that the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Adriatic Sea are our priorities on this area.
“We’d be wanting not solely to the regional growth but additionally to the thematic growth, which signifies that we’d like a supporting navy, we’d like air protection, we’d like artillery. We have to make further coalitions.
“We now have large challenges forward and massive alternatives forward,” Umerov mentioned. “Daily we advance, and day-after-day we make our victory nearer. Ukraine will win.”
Roman Chop/World Photographs Ukraine through Getty Photographs
Elsewhere, Umerov hinted at reforms and echoed Zelensky’s name for a “new method” on the Protection Ministry. “We now have to make sure respect for troopers’ dignity in all interactions with the state,” he mentioned, stressing the necessity to “be sure that our warriors are supplied and geared up with every thing essential.”
A brand new “army ombudsman” will seemingly be launched to give attention to the wants of army personnel, Umerov added.
“Digitization” too, he mentioned, shall be rolled out throughout the Protection Ministry. “There isn’t a place for paperwork and paperwork for a military at conflict. Every thing must be digitized, and we’ll maintain cybersecurity.”
