Zelensky attends donor meeting at NATO to plead for continued support as Ukraine prepares for another winter at war
Jamie McIntyre
ZELENSKY: ‘WE MUST WIN THE WINTER BATTLE’: As Ukraine prepares to mark 600 days at war next week, President Volodymyr Zelensky made a personal appeal to a meeting of 50 countries to stand firm as Russia prepares to inflict another winter of misery on the Ukrainian people.
It was Zelensky’s first in-person appearance at the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and in remarks this morning, he implored NATO and its partner countries to prioritize the air defenses Ukraine needs to protect its power plants and other critical infrastructure over the coming winter months.
“Next Monday will mark the 600th day of our resistance to Russia’s full-scale aggression against our people, against Ukraine, and today no one can say for sure how many more days we will have to defend our independence and to defend our identity,” Zelensky said. “Our task now is to get through this difficult time through this winter,” Zelensky said, adding that “air defense is a significant part of the answer to the question of when this war will end, and whether it will end justly for Ukraine.”
“We must win the winter battle against terror, and we can win it, and along with it, we can win the battle for how and on whose terms this war will end,” he said.
AUSTIN: ‘PUTIN STANDS ALONE’: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced another round of military assistance for Ukraine, valued at $200 million, which brings the U.S. contribution since the start of the war to almost $44 billion. The package includes AIM-9M munitions for what Austin said is a “new air-defense system that we will soon deliver to Ukraine,” as well as “artillery and rocket ammunition, precision aerial munitions, anti-tank weapons, and equipment to counter Russian drones.”
“We should be ready for the Kremlin to again bombard Ukraine this winter with cruise missiles and drones. And we should expect Putin’s forces to cruelly and deliberately put Ukraine’s cities, civilians, and critical infrastructure in their gunsights,” Austin said. “By turning civilians into targets, Putin hopes to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people and plunge them into bitter cold and darkness. But he will fail.”
“We stand together today determined to ensure that Ukraine has the support that it needs for another winter of war,” he said. “So I’m inspired again looking at all the countries around this table — even while Putin is left pleading for support from Iran and North Korea. We stand together. Putin stands alone.”
STOLTENBERG: NATO MUST RAMP UP AMMO PRODUCTION: Earlier in the day, a reporter for the Kyiv Independent newspaper questioned NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about ammunition shortages reported by Ukrainian troops fighting on the front lines, and Stoltenberg said NATO nations are continuing to increase production.
“It’s about artillery, it’s about ammunition,” Stoltenberg said. “I welcome the new announcement we have just heard over the last couple of days from Romania and also from Germany, and I expect more NATO allies to make further announcements today for more support to Ukraine because we need to sustain and step up their support.”
“What we are seeing now is that President Putin is preparing once again to use winter as a weapon of war, meaning attacking the energy system, the gas infrastructure. We need to prevent that, and with more advanced and increased capabilities for air defense, we can make a big difference.”
“NATO allies have stepped up production,” he said. “We have now $2.4 billion in what we call framework contracts for increased ammunition production, out of which $1 billion is a firm contract, and we are constantly working on ramping up production to enable Ukraine to continue to fight this war and to continue to liberate the land.”
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden is not scheduled to make any remarks about the situation in Israel, but it may well come up if he takes questions after his 11:45 a.m. announcement of new actions to protect consumers from hidden junk fees.
NSC spokesman John Kirby is scheduled to join White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the regular 1 p.m. briefing.
ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER TELLS TROOPS ALL ‘RESTRAINTS’ LIFTED IN GAZA OFFENSIVE
‘PURE, UNADULTERATED EVIL’: Yesterday, Biden pledged full U.S. support for Israel as it prepares for what it calls a “complete siege” of Gaza. The death toll of Israeli civilians has reached 1,200, and Biden confirmed that 14 Americans were among those brutally butchered by Hamas terrorists. In Gaza, 950 people are reported dead, as Israel has been pounding targets with hundreds of airstrikes.
“You know, there are moments in this life, and I mean this literally, when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend,” Biden said. “The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas — a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. This was an act of sheer evil.”
“We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas,” Biden said. “I’ve directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise the Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts, because as president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.”
BIDEN PRESSED BY REPUBLICAN SENATORS TO FREEZE $6 BILLION TO IRAN
NO ‘BOOTS ON THE GROUND’: The White House says there is a lot of uncertainty about the fate of Americans held hostage by Hamas.
“We do not know about their condition, and we cannot confirm the precise number of American citizens,” said national security adviser Jake Sullivan at yesterday’s White House briefing. “We believe that there are 20 or more Americans who, at this point, are missing. But I want to underscore and stress that does not mean, necessarily, that there are 20 or more American hostages, just that is the number who are currently unaccounted for.”
For now, the U.S. role in any hostage rescue mission is purely advisory, NSC spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC. “We’re certainly offering expertise. We have lots of expertise in the intelligence community, in the military, certainly in law enforcement that are good at hostage recovery. We’re offering that expertise to the Israelis right now.”
“There are no plans to put U.S. boots on the ground,” he added. “I don’t think it’s useful to speculate about what the options might be before us in terms of trying to get them home. But clearly, we’ll do everything we can. This is a very difficult, different situation when you’re talking about hostages in a war zone, in active combat, that certainly complicates any efforts to get Americans out of there.”
ISRAEL WAR: IRAN’S KHAMENEI HAILS HAMAS, WARNS RETALIATION COULD BE ‘GREATER DISASTER’
US CARRIER STRIKE GROUP ARRIVES: The U.S. Central Command says the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its five attendant escort ships are now on station in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
“The arrival of these highly capable forces to the region is a strong signal of deterrence should any actor hostile to Israel consider trying to take advantage of this situation,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla said in a statement.
The deployment of the carrier strike force provoked a curious reaction from NATO ally Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the U.S. of planning to use the aircraft carrier to commit “serious massacres” in Gaza.
“What will the aircraft carrier of the U.S. do near Israel, why do they come? What will boats around and aircraft on it will do? They will hit Gaza and around, and take steps for serious massacres there,” Erdogan said in a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Ankara, Turkey, according to Reuters.
“Let me be clear: We did not move the carrier for Hamas. We moved the carrier to send a clear message of deterrence to other states or non-state actors that might seek to widen this war,” said Jake Sullivan at the White House. “The president has also tasked us with engaging in contingency planning for any and all escalation scenarios. And we are now deeply engaged in that planning. And we are consulting with allies and partners as well about all of the potential scenarios that might unfold in the days ahead.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and its escort ships are departing Norfolk for the Mediterranean on a long-planned deployment that could result in two carrier strike groups operating near Israel at the same time.
OVER 140 LAWMAKERS URGE STATE TO CHARTER FLIGHTS OUT OF ISRAEL
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: ‘The US has Israel’s back’: Biden delivers fiery speech slamming Hamas
Washington Examiner: 14 Americans killed in Hamas attacks, Biden says
Washington Examiner: Israel war: White House has no ‘red lines’ for Netanyahu but downplays Gaza ‘siege’
Washington Examiner: Over 140 lawmakers urge State to charter flights out of Israel
Washington Examiner: Biden pressed by Republican senators to freeze $6 billion to Iran
Washington Examiner: Vulnerable Senate Democrats back GOP push to freeze $6 billion to Iran
Washington Examiner: Senator backs review of intel failures once Hamas is defeated
Washington Examiner: Israeli defense minister tells troops all ‘restraints’ lifted in Gaza offensive
Washington Examiner: Schumer and lawmakers cut China trip short over violence in Israel
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Hamas urges Israeli residents in nearby Ashkelon to leave
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Iran’s Khamenei hails Hamas, warns retaliation could be ‘greater disaster’
Washington Examiner: Finland-Estonia gas pipeline leak to be investigated as sabotage
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Israel war: Netanyahu should abandon China over Hamas conflict betrayal
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Israel war: Pence’s peace-through-strength priorities are crucial now and forever
Washington Examiner: Department of Defense schools defy the odds and show academic success during COVID-19
AP: Israeli strikes demolish entire Gaza neighborhoods as sealed-off territory faces imminent blackout
AP: Unprecedented Israeli bombardment lays waste to upscale Rimal, the beating heart of Gaza City
Washington Post: Israeli Forces Ready Their Offensive
Bloomberg: Boeing Sped 1,000 Smart Bombs to Israel After Hamas Attacks
Reuters: U.S. Talking To Israel, Egypt About Safe Passage For Gaza Civilians – White House
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF C-17s Fly In and Out of Israel, Fighter Jets En Route to Middle East
New York Times: U.S. Envoy To NATO Says Aid To Israel Won’t Come At Ukraine’s Expense
Defense One: Ukraine Wants West’s Help in Training NCOs and Officers
Reuters: Taiwan Seeks ‘Peaceful Coexistence’ With China, President Says
Inside Defense: DOD Readying Potential $90 billion in FY24, FY25 Cuts Required by Debt Ceiling Deal
Military.com: Troops Suing Defense Department over Vaccine Mandate Reach $1.8 Million Settlement
Air & Space Forces Magazine: NRO, Space Force Partner to Craft New Moving Targeting Strategy
Breaking Defense: NRO Plans 10-Fold Increase in Imagery, Signals Intel Output
SpaceNews: DOD-Funded Space Project Advances Non-GPS Navigation
The War Zone: MQ-20 Avenger Tests Recovery Line for Grabbing Smaller Drones Mid-Flight
DefenseScoop: Sierra Nevada Lands Contract for Second Variant of Athena Spy Plane
Air & Space Forces Magazine: B-52 Pilots Test New Instruments To Make BUFF Flying Easier
Air & Space Forces Magazine: After 30+ Years in Middle East, KC-10 Completes Final Deployment
Forbes: Early Lessons For U.S. Domestic Security From Israel’s War With Hamas
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 11
2:20 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO defense ministers meet for two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives “doorstop” statement https://www.nato.int/
4 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group chaired by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown. Austin’s opening remarks will be livestreamed at https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/
7 a.m. — 801 Mount Vernon Place NW — Final day of the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; and Gen. Charles Hamilton, commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command https://meetings.ausa.org/annual/index.cfm
9:15 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Post Ukraine Defense Contact Group news conference by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events
9:30 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “War in Israel and Gaza: The Military Dimension,” with Kenneth Pollack, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; Mick Mulroy, nonresident senior fellow and co-director of the MEI Yemen Steering Initiative; Bilal Saab, senior fellow and founding director of the MEI Defense and Security Program; and Missy Ryan, Washington Post reporter https://www.mei.edu/events/war-israel-and-gaza-military-dimension
10:30 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program book discussion: The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century, with author Jack Watling, senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/arms-future-book-launch-dr-jack-watling
11 a.m. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Military and Political Power in-person discussion: “Latin America’s China Challenge,” with Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command https://www.fdd.org/events/2023/10/11/latin-americas-china-challenge
11 a.m. — Jewish Democratic Council of America virtual briefing: “Crisis in Israel and the U.S. Response,” with Michael Koplow, Israel Policy Forum chief policy officer; and Halie Soifer, CEO of JDCA https://www.mobilize.us/jewishdems/event
12:30 p.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg news conference https://www.nato.int
4 p.m. — Hudson Institute “Presidential Speech Series,” with Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), GOP presidential candidate, delivering an address on foreign policy; and John Walters, Hudson President and CEO. https://www.hudson.org/events/presidential-speech-series
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 12
1:30 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO defense ministers meet for a second day at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives “short remarks” https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
8:45 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin news conference at the conclusion of the the two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Applying an Irregular Warfare Lens to Outer Space,” with Col. El Gardner, director of strategy, policy, and plans at U.S. Space Force; Dean Cheng, senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies; John Klein, faculty member at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute and author of Fight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Space; Franco Ongaro, chief space business officer at Leonardo S.p.A; Theresa Hitchens, reporter for space and Air Force at Breaking Defense; and Audrey Schaffer, vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot Aerospace and former White House space policy official https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/applying-an-irregular-warfare-lens-to-outer-space
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Association of the U.S. Army and Center for Strategic and International Studies “Strategic Landpower Dialogue,” with Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific https://www.csis.org/events/strategic-landpower-dialogue
10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute in-person discussion: “The Future of the U.S.-Finland Alliance,” with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen; and Peter Rough, director of Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia. https://www.hudson.org/events/finnish-foreign-minister
11 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Poland’s election and the direction of democracy in Central Europe,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, fellow at the Atlantic Council; Milan Nic, senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations; Adam Traczyk, director of More in Common Poland; Anna Grzymala-Busse, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; and Constanze Stelzenmuller, director of the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe https://www.brookings.edu/events/polands-election
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 13
4 p.m. South Bend, Indiana — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gives a lecture at the University of Notre Dame titled “Religious Liberty, Courage and the Necessity of Leadership.” Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@NotreDameCCCG
MONDAY | OCTOBER 16
9:30 a.m. 1400 K St. NW — Center for Nonproliferation Studies in-person and virtual panel discussion: “The Nonproliferation Implications of a U.S.-Saudi Arabia-Israel Deal,” with Aziz Alghashian, researcher and fellow, SPD Project; Eric Brewer, deputy vice president, NTI; Chen Zak Kane, Middle East nonproliferation program director, CNS; Barak Ravid, political reporter, Axios; and moderator Ellen Knickmeyer of the Associated Press https://middlebury.zoom.us/webinar/register
QUOTE OF THE DAY “To my Republican colleagues who believe that we should pull the plug on supporting Ukraine, if you think Putin’s going to stop at Ukraine, you’re not paying any attention. China is watching everything we do. So, I think it would be really ill-conceived to not support Ukraine. They have destroyed half the Russian military. We have spent less than 5% of our defense budget, and not one American has died. This has been a good investment.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), interviewed on CNN.