US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said it was “absolutely essential” to send more weapons to Ukraine. Blinken made the remark during a visit to an arms factory in Versailles with French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Defence officials continue to warn that Ukraine remains heavily outgunned by Russia on the battlefield, and note persistent reports of Ukrainian troops rationing or running out of ammunition on the front lines. Just last month, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the eastern city of Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders had held off a Russian assault for four months….