NATO countries promise more weapons for Ukraine as Russia launches massive assault

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

It is a pivotal moment in Ukraine. Kyiv announced today it'll hold another round of peace talks with Russia on Wednesday, the first such meeting in seven weeks.

Amna Nawaz:

And NATO leaders met today to try and answer Ukraine's desperate call for more weapons, as Moscow launched one of its largest ever aerial assaults.

Here's Nick Schifrin with more.

(Sirens blaring)

Nick Schifrin:

In Ukraine's capital today, damage, destruction and more death. It's days like this where nowhere feels safe, not the Kyiv apartment building hit by a Russian drone, the schoolkid's bedroom inside burnt black.

Not the nearby kindergarten engulfed in flames. Not the bomb shelter otherwise known as the metro, where a drone hit at the entrance and filled the tunnel built to withstand nuclear blasts with smoke, the metro usually where Ukrainians spend the night to protect their children.

But, these days, there is precious little protection; 46-year-old Vadym Volkov survived, where his apartment did not.

Vadym Volkov, Kyiv Resident (through interpreter):

I can't even describe the emotions I had when the whole apartment was destroyed. I was in shock. I'm not the only one. There are so many people who have lost their homes.

Nick Schifrin:

Lost their homes thanks largely to the nightly screaming across the sky that leads to the inevitable, drone strikes. Overnight, Ukraine says Russia launched more than 420. The U.N. says Russia last month fired 10 times the number of drones than it did one year ago.

Overnight, Russia also launched 24 missiles. This is exactly the kind of damage that Europe pledged today to try and prevent in a virtual meeting chaired by the U.K. and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister:

Ukraine will continue to successfully defy Putin's war machine and will weaken it a little more every day. It is our duty, colleagues, and our obligation to actively support our Ukrainian friends in this regard.

Nick Schifrin:

Germany is pledging to send Ukraine five additional American-made Patriot air defense batteries. They're scarce, so the U.S. has agreed to prioritize Patriot deliveries to Germany and slow down deliveries to other countries.

That's only possible thanks to last week's policy reversal.

Donald Trump, President of the United States: We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they will be sent to NATO.

Nick Schifrin:

President Trump allowing Europe to buy Ukraine weapons and giving Moscow a deadline.

Donald Trump:

We're very, very unhappy with them, and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent. You

Nick Schifrin:

A threat which left Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov seemingly unfazed.

Dmitry Peskov, Spokesman for Vladimir Putin (through interpreter): Russia is prepared to move swiftly. For us, the main thing is to achieve our objectives. They are clear, obvious and unchanging.

Nick Schifrin:

Unchanging and maximalist, no NATO membership for Ukraine, international recognition of Russian control of five Ukrainian regions, including those not fully occupied, caps on the size of Ukraine's military and its Western support, and removal of U.S. troops from Eastern Europe.

It's clear Russia feels it's winning. Since the start of the year, despite massive losses, Russia has captured nearly 1,500 square miles, roughly the size of Rhode Island, its most recent advances in Ukraine's Northeast in the region of Sumy.

Amna Nawaz:

And Nick Schifrin joins us now for more.

Nick, so the key question here is, how quickly can European weapons get to Ukraine?

Nick Schifrin:

That is the key question, Amna.

And the answer, U.S. and European officials tell me, depend on a few variables. Number one, how vulnerable are European countries willing to make themselves in order to send their own weapons, especially air defense, to Ukraine? Number two, how much money is Europe willing to spend, $10 billion to $20 billion, perhaps that much money?

And, three, how much weapons is the U.S. willing to spend? And that, of course, is a trade-off. The more weapons sent to Ukraine, perhaps the fewer weapons available in the Middle East and the Pacific. Meanwhile, as we saw, Russia is trying to overwhelm Ukraine with drones.

And, Amna, that is a challenge that Patriots, which are designed for missiles, that Patriots cannot really solve and, frankly, Ukraine has increasingly struggled to answer.

Amna Nawaz:

Nick Schifrin, thank you, as always.

Nick Schifrin:

Thank you.