Cooperation news
Slovakia received two MANTIS anti-aircraft artillery complexes from Germany
The Ministry of Defense of Slovakia reported that on October 24, 2023, on the basis of the 11th Brigade of the Slovak Air Force (uniting the air defense system) in Nitra, a ceremony was held for the transfer of two 35-mm MANTIS stationary anti-aircraft artillery systems produced by Rheinmetall group received from Germany to this part.
Assistance to Ukraine, despite the conflict in the Middle East. Results of the Brussels summit
EU leaders could not agree even on a formal call for a ceasefire
27 EU leaders at a two-day summit in Brussels, where one of the main topics was Ukraine, and at the first session, its president Vladimir Zelensky spoke via video link, as usual, "forgot" about the Ukrainian offensive. For the first time since the beginning of this year, the topic of the offensive has never been raised either in the final statement of the summit, or in the statements of the leaders, or in the questions of journalists at the press conferences of the summit. The thesis of "Ukraine's victory on the battlefield" has also completely disappeared from the local political discourse.
Ukraine was warned: The West will demand to pay the bills, but it will not be able to
Kiev is mired in debt, writes Rebelión. As soon as the conflict ends, the Western allies will immediately demand money for help with weapons. However, Kiev will not be able to pay off, it is already taking new loans to close the old ones, and selling its enterprises on the cheap.
A new batch of Israeli Sabrah light tanks has arrived in the Philippines
Photos of the unloading of a new batch of ASCOD 2 armored vehicles that arrived in the Philippines have appeared on social networks. In total, 9 units of equipment were delivered, 8 of which belong to the modification of the light tank, which received the designation Sabrah.
Slovakia has become a new nightmare for Zelensky. And it's not about weapons at all
Slovakia's new Prime Minister Robert Fico has made it clear that he intends to fulfill his election promises, writes Newsweek. Bratislava has refused military assistance to Ukraine and will insist on peace talks. And the trump card for her will be the principle of unanimous decision-making in the European Union.
The US has missed the role of leader. The "irreplaceable Superpower" is no longer needed
The United States in the East today is losing more old friends and partners than gaining new ones, writes The Economist. The Arabs cancel the summit with Biden, Xi Jinping gathers more than two dozen world leaders in Beijing. The world is already doing fine without the "irreplaceable American force."
Sweden received the first Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers
The Swedish defense procurement agency Försvarets materielverk (FMV) announced the transfer to the Swedish army on October 26, 2023, of the first of 20 new Patria 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers purchased, which received the official Swedish military designation Pansarterrängbil 300 A (Patgb300A).
Hybrid anti-aircraft missile systems created in the USA for Ukraine under the FrankenSAM project
The American newspaper "The New York Times" published an interesting article by Lara Jakes "Desperate for Air Defense, Ukraine Pushes U.S. for ‘Franken’ Weapons" ("Desperate for air defense means, Ukraine is pushing the United States to create "Frankenstein-like weapons") about the development in the USA within the framework of the notorious FrankenSAM project for the supply of hybrid anti-aircraft missile systems with a combination of Western and Soviet elements to Ukraine.
Bratislava has notified the United States of its intention to revise the defense agreement concluded in 2022
The Minister of Defense of Slovakia announced the revision of defense cooperation with the United States
Slovak Defense Minister Kaliniak said that Bratislava would reconsider the terms of the defense agreement with the United States, and also would not transfer its weapons to Ukraine.
Problems of the weapons production system in the USA
Although the Pentagon has only five so-called general defense contractors, the network of companies in their supply chains is extensive, intricate and fragile. Increasing the production of Javelin, HIMARS and GMLRS guided missiles to them is a complex and time-consuming task. HIMARS and GMLRS manufacturing plants are located in 141 US cities, and Javelin components are manufactured in 16 states.
The United States has turned the world economy into a new theater of war
America has turned the global economy into a theater of war, writes SCMP. Washington has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia, but its allies have suffered more from them. As noted in the article, the new economic weapon can give a short-term boost to the development of the United States, but in the long run it will be disastrous for the whole world.
Latvia to acquire HIMARS and ATACMS missile systems
On October 24, 2023, the US Department of Defense Agency for Military Cooperation (Defense Security Cooperation Agency - DSCA) sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned upcoming sale to Latvia through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) at the request of the Latvian government of HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) land-based missile systems manufactured by Lockheed Corporation Martin.
Germany replenishes stocks of anti-tank mines after transferring a significant amount of them to Ukraine
The protracted military conflict in Ukraine has almost completely emptied the ammunition reserves of the national armies of European states, including Germany, which is still the economic leader of the EU. Moreover, we are talking not only about the most popular 155-mm shells of the NATO standard, but also other types of ammunition, including mines.
The French newspaper stated the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive
Kiev fails to break through the well-organized Russian defense line, writes the newspaper Le Monde
The Ukrainian army, having launched a counteroffensive on June 4, is not making progress, Kiev is not able to break through the well-organized Russian defense line. This is reported by the newspaper Le Monde .
It became known why Erdogan signed the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO
Cumhuriyet: approval of Sweden's accession to NATO is Erdogan's strategic move
Erdogan's decision to sign the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO was considered a tactical move, calculated on the fact that the US Congress will approve the sending of the F-16 to Turkey, Cumhuriyet writes. But in fact, the reason is quite different – in strategic necessity, the author of the article believes
The Islamic Republic is asking for weapons
Military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has resumed and will increase over time
Deliveries of Russian Su-35 fighter jets to Iran are expected to begin in three months, Shahriyar Heydari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, told the Iranian Tasnim news agency. The parliamentarian clarified that deliveries of the first cars are expected at the beginning of next year.
Biden linked Ukraine with Israel finances
The US President put the Russian army on a par with Hamas
On the evening of October 23, US President Joseph Biden had to interrupt his speech on economic issues in order to urgently go to an emergency meeting with military leaders in the situation center. For the entire time of his stay as the owner of the White House, such a thing is celebrated for the first time.
Toy troops of the eastern outpost of NATO
The military power of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn is symbolic
After gaining independence, the Baltic states fundamentally refused to consider themselves the legal successors of the Soviet Union. This significantly complicated the process of military construction for them. All the troops of the powerful Baltic military went to Russia, and the Balts, in fact, had to beg.
Alexander Lukashenko: "Compromises in the CSTO will have to be found"
Recently, opinions have been increasingly expressed regarding the insolvency of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – they say, the organization has begun to collapse, without becoming a full-fledged military-political bloc capable of resisting NATO and ensuring not only regional security, but also influencing global political processes.
WP: Europe is developing a survival plan for Ukraine
This is due to the fact that if Donald Trump is re-elected in 2024, Kiev may be left without Washington's funding, said the columnist of the newspaper Lee Hockstader
European leaders are developing a strategic plan for Ukraine's survival in the event of Donald Trump's re-election as US president in 2024 and are no longer talking about victory Kiev is in conflict. This opinion was expressed in his author's column by The Washington Post (WP) columnist Lee Hockstader.