Ukrainian soldiers are rationing ammunition as a hold-up in the US approving a military aid package is affecting how it conducts its war with Russia, western officials said on Thursday.
Ukraine has made recent military gains on Russia in the Black Sea, including the sinking of a Russian missile ship this month.
But soldiers on the battlefield are running low on certain types of ammunition and air defence, piling additional pressure on Ukraine's western allies to step up defence production.
"We really need to step up our game," said Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren at a meeting of her Nato counterparts in Brussels.
"We are very much committed to giving the ammunition that Ukraine needs and providing them with that but we are struggling, of course, on the side of our production capacity," Ms Ollongren said.
Concern has been mounting in EU capitals over Europe's inability to keep up with Ukrainian needs.
The EU's foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell has suggested countries start selling weapons only to Ukraine and not elsewhere.
Ukraine defence industry under attack
Speaking anonymously, a western official said battlefield commanders in Ukraine were "quite concerned".
"We know that some of those units are marshalling their ammunition quite closely, they’re deciding how many munitions they’re going to fire on any given day," they said.
"It’s worth noting that from an air defence standpoint, most notably medium to long-range defence, Ukraine is expending those air defence assets at a rate they’re quite concerned about."
Russia has understood this concern which is why it has stepped up strikes on Ukraine's defence industrial base, the source added.
"It’s important that support coming from Nato allies and from others to Ukraine to continue," they said.
Further compounding worries over Ukraine, a massive US aid package has become bogged down by local politics.
The US Senate on Tuesday approved a $95 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan by a comfortable margin but House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Donald Trump ally, has refused to put it to a vote in the lower chamber.
"These plans will improve our ability to deter and defend against any threat, well into the future", US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said, adding that "US leadership on the world stage will not diminish".
Mr Austin said that Western allies also must continue to invest in their defence industrial bases, which he said "is crucial to the future strength of the alliance".
The delay on support has had a considerable effect, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"I expect the US to be able to make a decision, that Congress and the House of Representatives will agree continued support to Ukraine,” he said.
Mr Stoltenberg has sharply criticised Mr Trump for claiming he would not defend Nato members that do not meet defence spending targets should he be elected US president this year.
Mr Stoltenberg said US criticism is not "primarily aimed at Nato".
"It's against Nato allies not spending enough money on Nato," he said, referring to a recent increase in spending.
"Things have really changed. I expect 18 allies to spend 2 per cent of their GDP on defence this year, a six-fold increase from only three allies in 2014."
He also warned member countries against allowing the issue to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe.
“I welcome that the European allies are investing more in defence, and Nato has called for that for many, many years,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
“But that’s not an alternative to Nato. That is actually a way to strength Nato. And we should not pursue any path that indicates that we are trying to divide Europe from North America,” he said.
Hungary still blocking Swedish accession
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said it was “simply unconscionable” to think Ukraine might lose the war. “We need to make sure that civilised nations are prepared to stand right behind Ukraine,” he said.
Mr Shapps also announced the UK, in partnership with Latvia, would send thousands more drones to Ukraine. This is the first project to be launched from a £200 million ($251 million) package announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month.
Western officials have also expressed frustration with Hungary for being the last country to block Sweden's accession to the alliance, following Turkey's approval in January after a 20-month delay.
Officials perceive the blockage as Hungary's Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky breaking a promise made to his Nato counterparts that his country would not be the last to give approval.
“Sweden must join Nato now,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said. “Any further delay is straining everyone's patience.”
Hungary has not clarified its objections to Sweden's membership. The only criteria for a country to join Nato is that it enriches the alliance's security.
But several defence ministers struck an optimistic tone after Thursday's meeting.
"I had a good and constructive dialogue today with my colleague from Hungary," Sweden's Pal Jonson told The National.
"Hopefully the Hungarian Parliament will make a decision as soon as possible."
Ms Ollongren said: "It was pretty clear today that every country around the table said the time has come for Sweden to finally enter as a fully fledged member.
"As I have understood, Hungary suggested it is also from their side – they are taking the right steps to have a decision in Parliament as soon as possible."
Nato through the years – in pictures
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
Liz%20Truss
%3Cp%3EMinisterial%20experience%3A%20Current%20Foreign%20Secretary.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DWhat%20did%20she%20do%20before%20politics%3F%20Worked%20as%20an%20economist%20for%20Shell%20and%20Cable%20and%20Wireless%20and%20was%20then%20a%20deputy%20director%20for%20right-of-centre%20think%20tank%20Reform.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DWhat%20does%20she%20say%20on%20tax%3F%20She%20has%20pledged%20to%20%22start%20cutting%20taxes%20from%20day%20one%22%2C%20reversing%20April's%20rise%20in%20National%20Insurance%20and%20promising%20to%20keep%20%22corporation%20tax%20competitive%22.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
