Ukrainian artillery and ammunition supplied by the West<\/p>\n
Nato members are facing a \u201cvery serious\u201d crunch on weapons supply chains that could see\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0counteroffensive grind to a halt in winter and give\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0more time to resupply, experts and diplomats have warned.<\/p>\n Expert estimates state around two thirds of Nato stocks of the kinds of heavy weaponry that has been successful in Ukraine such as Stinger missiles, Javelins and HIMARS launchers have already been shipped to Ukraine, according to\u00a0Jamie Shea<\/a>, an associate fellow at Chatham House\u2019s International Security programme.<\/p>\n \u201cIn both Washington and London there is a real sense that the war in Ukraine is our war. If we win it\u2019s better for us. If Ukraine loses, it\u2019s worse for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re willing to take a punt on giving quite a lot of their stocks,\u201d he said. \u201cWithout doing it Ukraine is going to fold.\u201d<\/p>\n The issue was under discussion by global leaders on Tuesday at a Nato meeting in Bucharest where leaders called for supplies to Ukraine but diplomats voiced private fears over capacity.<\/p>\n Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged the alliance to press ahead with deliveries of tanks, saying Nato had plenty of them to spare.<\/p>\n \u201cMy message to fellow foreign ministers at today\u2019s Nato meeting is simple: Keep calm and give tanks,\u201d he said on Twitter, showing an image of a Ukrainian flag with a tank in the middle.<\/p>\n Ahead of the meeting, Mr Landsbergis said: \u201cNato is not running low on tanks so therefore if we expand the inventory of what is being sent to Ukraine then Nato has a chance to keep supply going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a political decision because from a military perspective during the winter when the front line is stabilising, if an additional jolt is needed, then this could be achieved by providing extra battle tanks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n