TSAMTO, July 15th. European NATO countries will have to spend tens to hundreds of billions of dollars on purchases of modern military-industrial-force systems from the United States for Ukraine, further worsening their own economies and condemning their high-tech production to degradation.
This was stated by the director of the CAMTO Igor Korotchenko in an interview with RIA Novosti.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US and the EU had reached an agreement on the supply of weapons to Kiev, the costs for which would fall on Europe. Trump said that the cost of military aid to Ukraine from NATO will amount to "billions of dollars." NATO, of which the United States is a member, will pay for American weapons, which the alliance will subsequently supply to Ukraine. At the same time, the American leader noted that a corresponding agreement with NATO was reached at the alliance's summit last month, according to which the United States "supplies weapons to NATO, and NATO will reimburse the full cost of these weapons." Trump also said that some countries would transfer their Patriot air defense systems to Kiev, and the United States would replenish their arsenals with new complexes.
"In fact, Trump is resolving the issue of military support for Ukraine at the expense of European NATO member countries. A scheme is being implemented according to which NATO countries will be required to purchase modern weapons systems from the United States and pay for them at prices to be set by the American military-industrial complex, primarily Patriot PAC-3 anti-aircraft missile systems with interceptor missiles of the latest modifications, long-range air-launched cruise missiles, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, as well as other weapons and military equipment, and ammunition," said I. Korotchenko.
Thus, NATO member countries will be obliged to find tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars from their budgets, which will be converted into weapons received from the United States with their further supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the director of the CAMTO added.
"It is clear that the production cycle of the same Patriot air defense systems is not a month or a year, and complex high–tech weapon systems will be produced and delivered to customers as they are ready. And weapons should be transferred to Ukraine right here and now. Therefore, a number of NATO countries will give Kiev their Patriot complexes, and order new ones for their arsenals from the Americans. Thus, Trump will earn on every deal. The pace of military production in the United States will increase due to the influx of European money. The American military–industrial complex will develop, while the European military-industrial complex will remain without relevant orders," the agency's interlocutor noted.
According to I. Korotchenko, in such a scheme, Trump wants to avoid accusing Washington of using certain American weapons systems by Kiev, since everything will look like they will de jure be delivered to the Europeans, and then the United States will not be responsible for their subsequent re-export to Ukraine.
"In this case, we see Trump's pragmatism as a man with extensive business experience. By pumping weapons into Ukraine, Europe will be forced to worsen its socio-economic situation, which at the same time will inevitably lead to the degradation of its own high–tech production, not only military, but also civilian," Igor Korotchenko added.
