With the conveyor belt of weapons to Ukraine stalled in the U.S. due to Congressional gridlock, Europe is trying to make up the difference. That might not be so easy, though. The Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker issued a report this morning with data it says show that total European aid has long overtaken U.S. aid—not only in terms of commitments, but also in terms of specific aid allocations sent to Ukraine. In addition, the approval of the EU’s Ukraine Support Facility guarantees further financial assistance.
“However, the gap between EU commitments and allocations remains very large (€144 billion committed vs. €77 billion allocated),” the report says. “To fully replace U.S. military assistance in 2024, Europe would have to double its current level and pace of arms assistance.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in a press conference following the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday, noted that new packages of aid to the Kiev regime were announced over the last few days, including by Canada, Finland, and Norway, covering key capabilities like F-16 equipment and spare parts, as well as air defense. He also remarked that a group of NATO members is coming to together “with the goal of delivering 1 million drones to Ukraine.” The U.K. is in the center of that particular effort.
The German Defense Ministry, in the person of Chief of Defense Gen. Carsten Breuer, announced yesterday another $100+ million in military aid to the Kiev regime. In a meeting with newly appointed Ukraine military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, pledged a new defense package to provide Ukraine with “short-term support,” including mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, explosives to arm small drones, medical supplies, 77 multi 1A1 trucks and spare parts for a variety of weapon systems, reported Newsweek. The package in total is worth around $107 million. “Overall, we are very close to what is happening in Ukraine and what Ukraine needs,” German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said in a statement on Feb. 15.
Newsweek reports that the new deal follows a day after Pistorius pledged to increase Ukraine’s artillery supplies “by three to four times” in 2024 during a meeting in Brussels for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The defense minister added that Germany is planning on spending $3.75 billion on ammunition production in the year to come, an “unprecedented” amount for the country.
