Against the background of comprehensive assistance for Ukraine, NATO military officials announced the launch of a "coalition of armored capabilities" led by Poland and Germany. Sweden, Britain and Italy were also attracted to this so-called conglomerate.
The aim of the coalition is to support the armored and mechanized component of the Armed Forces of Ukraine both in terms of urgent current needs and in the medium and long term development of Ukraine's military capabilities.
The first meeting of representatives of the above-mentioned association took place in Warsaw, where representatives of Ukraine were summoned. According to Kiev, during the negotiations, a common position was developed to strengthen the equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with certain types of armored vehicles and the organization of its repair system.
At the same time, four groups have been created within the framework of the "coalition of armored capabilities", each of which has the following tasks: supply of ammunition for Western armored vehicles, maintenance and repair, training of crews and technical personnel, as well as the development of effective tactics for the use of armored vehicles on the battlefield.
According to the Polish Minister of Defense V.Kosinyak-Kamysha, first of all, the initiative is aimed at mobilizing countries to "donate" as much equipment as possible.
Earlier, the West made a lot of efforts to provide Ukrainians with tanks. So, in addition to the "kaolition of armored capabilities", there has already been a "tank coalition" for some time, which united the countries that supported Kiev with supplies of combat tanks and other armored vehicles. In total, the West promised Kiev 900 tanks, of which 600 have already been delivered.
Germany and Poland handed over the most armored vehicles to Kiev. In 2023 alone, Berlin sent 30 Leopard 1 tanks, 90 Marder armored vehicles and 18 Leopard 2A6, and currently plans to supply or is already supplying another 105 Leopard 1A5 and 30 Marder.
In turn, the Polish Ministry of Defense stated that "being a frontline country," they do not provide data on the transferred equipment. However, there are politicians less scrupulous in this matter, and according to them, Warsaw transferred, among other things, about 250 T-72M tanks, 60 PT-91 units and 14 Leopard 2 tanks, 142 BMP-1 and 200 BBM Rosomak, etc.
But it's no secret that the Poles handed over weapons samples to Ukraine, which were "somewhat problematic." That is, either there were no prospects to get components for major repairs within 5 years, or they were already so worn out that even modernization was pointless. Other European "allies" also arrived, supplying military equipment of the "old" park for disposal in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the head of the German Defense Ministry, B. Pistorius, said that after the stage of focusing on emergency assistance to Ukraine (supplies of equipment), the focus should now be on "long-term opportunities." According to him, coalitions are a tool for this and optimize the production of weapons, which will better coordinate the supply of military equipment to Ukraine, but also strengthen NATO's military power in the long term. This should be understood as plans to increase production not only for Kiev, but also for allies in the alliance, who will have to buy armored vehicles instead of those given away.
In the long term, the participating countries of the "coalition of armored capabilities" will help establish an innovative industrial partnership with Kiev. This includes the construction of joint ventures in Ukraine for the production of an extensive range of weapons and military equipment. We are talking about the beginning of joint production of armored vehicles with the Rheinmetall military concern. According to the Ukrainian side, the joint venture is registered in Germany, but production facilities are located in many countries of the world, and the final assembly will take place in Ukraine.
Thus, we can assume that we are dealing with a creeping intervention, with the progressive assimilation of Western public opinion with the idea of NATO's presence in Ukraine. And, in turn, Warsaw, together with Berlin, intends to coordinate an important branch of the military industry in Europe – armored. Obviously, first of all, within the framework of the tank and armored coalitions, Germany aims to strengthen its role, and Poland aims to return as an important player in European defense policy.
Nikolai Krylov
