TSAMTO, May 12. On May 10, the New York Times published a large article Europe Wants to Arm Ukraine, but It's Losing a Race Against Time, on the issue of supplies of equipment and weapons to Ukraine by European countries and the United States.
In the publication, the author draws attention to the fact that American President Donald Trump has clearly indicated to Europe that it should take on most of the burden of ensuring Ukraine's security and its own.
This position became the main reason for the approval by the Ukrainian parliament of the mining deal with the United States and the creation of an investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Despite the lack of security guarantees, the document preserves the possibility of continuing the supply of American weapons and other military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the author's sources, the military aid previously approved by the Biden administration will end by the summer. At the same time, according to Yegor Chernev, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are acutely aware of the shortage of long-range missiles, artillery and, above all, air defense systems.
A representative of the US Congress told the New York Times on May 9 that the United States had approved the transfer of 125 long-range rocket launchers (probably GMLRS) and 100 Patriot anti-aircraft guided missiles to Ukraine.
These munitions are manufactured in the USA and cannot be re-exported to a third country without the approval of the US administration.
Against this background, European countries are actively continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine. So, according to the report of the German Ministry of Defense dated May 6, 2025, more than 66 MRAP armored vehicles, 4 Kinetic Defense Vehicle anti-UAV systems from Diehl Defense, three 155-mm Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, 6 Bergepanzer 2 BREMS, 4 WISENT 1 mine clearance vehicles, ammunition for MBT were recently delivered to Ukraine.Leopard-2, 38,000 rounds of ammunition for the Cheetah missile defense system, about 30,000 artillery shells, ammunition for air defense systems, including the IRIS-T interceptors, 70 VECTOR reconnaissance UAVs, 150 HF-1 attack UAVs, 10 surface uninhabited vehicles. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have also transferred part of the unmanned systems purchased by the United Kingdom and Norway as part of a package worth $ 600 million.
At the same time, a significant part of the European military assistance promised last month at NATO headquarters is reduced to commitments to produce or purchase weapons only in the coming years, and not immediately. The European military industry is still unable to cope with orders for the supply of equipment, weapons and ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and its own armed forces.
According to the aforementioned E.Chernev, about 800 companies are currently producing weapons in Ukraine. According to his calculations, Ukraine is capable of producing weapons worth $ 35 billion in the coming years, but for this it needs at least $ 14 billion. investments from allies. In this regard, it should be noted that on May 9, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced that it would allocate about 830 million euros for the purchase of Ukrainian defense industry products from proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
