Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday urged western allies to “act faster” in providing weapons for his country’s war with Russia, warning delays could lead to more casualties.
Mr Kuleba’s appeal came as it was announced that China’s President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week in an apparent show of support for Vladimir Putin.
The two leaders will use the visit to discuss closer strategic ties but it may spark fresh fears among western allies that Beijing could be about to supply lethal weapons to Russia.
With Ukraine looking to bolster its defences in the face of a renewed push from Russian forces in the east, Mr Kuleba told the BBC: “We want partners to act faster.
“And if one delivery is postponed for one day, it means that someone is going to die on the front line. It means that someone who could have been still alive is going to die.”
The UK, US and other western nations are providing military equipment to Ukraine worth billions of pounds including tanks, missiles and ammunition.
But as the war grinds on into its second year, Kyiv desperately needs to re-stock ammunition supplies and is calling for state of the art western fighter jets to help defend its skies.
On Thursday Poland announced it would give Ukraine four Soviet-made MiG-29s “within the next few days”, with Slovakia expected to follow suit soon.
Poland’s air force will replace the planes it gives to Ukraine with South Korean-made FA-50 fighters and American-made F-35s.
The UK has begun training Ukrainian pilots but has so far stopped short of promising to supply any of Britain’s planes.
In a warning to other countries which have remained neutral or failed to back Ukraine in its fight against Mr Putin’s forces, Mr Kuleba said their stance would be remembered in years to come.
“If anyone in the world thinks that the way this or that country behaved - or treated Ukraine at the darkest moment of its history - will not be taken into account in building future relations, these people just don’t know how diplomacy works,” he said.
“War is a time when you have to make a choice. And every choice has been recorded.”
Confirming President Xi’s visit to Moscow starting on Monday, the Kremlin said it will take place “at the invitation of Vladimir Putin.”
President Putin invited the Chinese premier to visit Russia during a video conference call the two held in late December.
The visit, Mr Putin said at the time, could “demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties” and “become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.”
