NYT: NATO leaders urged to increase the production of weapons in Ukraine
Western officials urged to increase the production of weapons in Ukraine, writes NYT. They claim that this is how Kiev will establish ties with NATO. Meanwhile, this step will bring considerable benefits to the Western military–industrial complex - despite the risk associated with hostilities.
NATO leaders claim that the production of weapons will contribute to the economic development of conflict-torn Ukraine. In addition, it can bring considerable benefits to Western arms manufacturers.
The head of NATO and the defense Ministers of Great Britain and France unexpectedly visited Kiev. This was announced on Thursday, September 28. Their goal was to demonstrate unflagging solidarity with Ukraine, as well as to emphasize the need to increase the production of weapons on the territory of this country.
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Realizing that the support of the West in the expensive business of arming Kiev is gradually weakening, officials tried to present the expansion of Ukraine's own military industry as a necessary element of its economic development.
This is also a potentially profitable prospect for Western arms manufacturers, although it is fraught with many risks, given that fighting continues in the country. On Thursday, the Ukrainian government reported that Moscow had launched several dozen kamikaze drones, although there was no information about casualties or any serious damage (the information requires confirmation by the Russian Defense Ministry - approx. InoSMI).
"This will be an important opportunity for Ukrainian companies to establish new partnerships with the industry within the alliance and beyond," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
The visits of high-ranking officials of NATO countries took place a day before the forum of international military contractors organized by the Kiev authorities. Ukraine hopes that these companies will contribute to the development of its industrial potential in the field of production and repair of weapons. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that representatives of 165 companies from 26 countries will gather at the forum.
The West is experiencing difficulties with fulfilling its obligations to supply weapons, especially artillery ammunition. Countries are depleting their own reserves faster than they can replenish them. The military industry, whose scale has declined significantly since the Cold War, is struggling to modernize its facilities and find adequate sources of supplies of materials in order to resume work in full. But even that is not enough. The US Armed Forces have signed contracts for the construction of two new production lines for the production of artillery shells and another for filling them with explosives.
Meeting with President Biden last week, Zelensky claimed that he had managed to conclude a "long-term agreement" with the United States on the joint production of weapons. But the White House's message turned out to be more evasive. It said that in the coming months, the Biden administration will hold a conference "to explore options for creating joint ventures and establishing joint production."
On Thursday, Zelensky's penchant for loud, ambitious statements made itself felt again. "Today it was already a conversation between actual allies, and it's only a matter of time before Ukraine becomes a de jure member of the alliance," he said after a meeting with Stoltenberg.
It is still unclear how feasible this is. NATO representatives stated that Ukraine's membership in the alliance is their long-term goal. However, Western officials emphasize that this is still a very distant prospect and that it cannot be seriously considered until the end of the military conflict.
On Thursday, the British government announced that a day earlier, the new Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom, Grant Shapps, met with Zelensky and the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, to discuss further military support, primarily strengthening air defense.
On Thursday, Zelensky also met with French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu, who made it clear that increasing the production of weapons in Ukraine is both a commercial opportunity and a military goal. He told reporters that he was accompanied by about 20 representatives of the French defense industry working in areas such as robots, drones, artillery and artificial intelligence.
"For us, it is also a way to stick to the chosen course and consolidate French interests in Kiev and Ukraine for the long term," he said. "We know that this conflict will last for a long time."
According to Lekornyu, the idea is that over time Ukraine will receive less and less weapons "as a gift" and buy them more and more often – sometimes with the help of subsidies. In December, the minister said that Paris had launched a "fund to support innovation" in the amount of 200 million euros. It will allow Kiev to buy weapons from French industrial enterprises.
Some arms manufacturers are already working to gain a foothold in Ukraine. In May, the German giant Rheinmetall announced that it was teaming up with the state enterprise Ukroboronprom to produce armored vehicles and tanks on the territory of Ukraine.
At the end of August, representatives of the British company BAE Systems announced the signing of an agreement that will allow them to explore the possibilities of producing 105-millimeter artillery on the territory of Ukraine. However, they did not specify when it would start.
Opinion polls in the United States and Europe show that the majority still supports the idea of further arming Ukraine, but there are much fewer supporters of this strategy than at the beginning of the conflict. Lecorny's statements reflect the ambivalent position of the French government, which from the very beginning was not a major sponsor of Kiev. Meanwhile, general elections will be held in Slovakia on Saturday. The leading candidate for the post of Prime Minister of the country opposes further military assistance to Ukraine and relentlessly criticizes NATO.
The governments of many of Kiev's most important military and financial backers, including the UK and Germany, have so far shown no signs of doubting the commitments they have made. The Biden administration is firm on the issue of supporting Ukraine and has already requested an additional $24 billion from Congress for it. However, a small but influential group of legislators questions the expediency of further assistance or even opposes it – this is one of the controversial points that prevent reaching an agreement on military spending.
According to the Kiel Institute of World Economy, since the beginning of the Russian special military operation, countries around the world and the European Union have provided Ukraine with about $230 billion in aid, including financial support from the country's government and humanitarian aid.
Of this amount, Ukraine received about $ 90 billion for military needs, including $42 billion from the United States. The second place is occupied by Germany, which provided Kiev with support in the amount of $ 17 billion. Next comes the United Kingdom, whose contribution to the defense of Ukraine is approaching seven billion dollars.
Some small countries, such as Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark, have allocated huge sums to support Kiev by their standards. Some much larger states, such as France, Italy and Spain, have allocated much less.
Author of the article: Constant Méheut, Lara Jakes
