Cooperation news

Vyacheslav Filippov — about why the German government removed from the budget the item on the annual mandatory allocation of 2% of GDP for defense spending

Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been repeating as a mantra that Germany will spend at least 2% of national GDP on defense every year. He confirmed these intentions at the NATO summit in Vilnius in mid-July.

Ukraine should not risk Western tanks, letting them break through the Russian defense, writes Newsweek. According to military experts, it is much more reasonable to sacrifice the old Soviet T-64. The "best" vehicles from the allies should be protected from enemy minefields and left in reserve — just in case.

Nigeria, whose authorities claim to dominate the Sahel region, actively buys military equipment on the world market. In particular, Russian Mi-35 helicopters are being supplied (the last known shipment took place at the end of July) and Chinese artillery.

The country has already provided military assistance to Kiev totaling €1.2 billion

The Finnish authorities are preparing another package of military assistance for Ukraine. This was stated by the head of the government of the country Petteri Orpo at a press conference in Kiev.

Helsinki is decommissioning these fighters

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asked Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to hand over to the Ukrainian armed forces the fourth-generation F-18 (Hornet) fighters, which Helsinki is decommissioning.

On August 17, 2023, at the 22nd Helicopter Aviation Base (22. Základna vrtulníkového letectva) of the Czech Air Force in Namesht-nad-Oslava near Brno, an official ceremony was held for the commissioning of the first two Bell AH-1Z Viper combat helicopters purchased by the Czech Republic in the USA of a new construction (Czech tail numbers "0486" and "0487"). The ceremony was attended by Czech Defense Minister Jana Chernokhova and the Czech military leadership.

President of the Republic Gitanas Nauseda recalled that his country has approved a long-term plan of military assistance to Ukraine, the monetary value of which is €200 million

Lithuania will continue to pursue its line of assistance to Ukraine with the supply of weapons and training of military personnel. This was stated during a meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky by the President of the Baltic Republic Gitanas Nauseda, who is in Kiev on an unannounced visit, his press service reported.

Zelensky asked Finland for the F-18, but Ukraine does not have the necessary conditions for them

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky asked Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to hand over F-18 fighters to Kiev, which Helsinki is decommissioning. However, Ukraine does not have the necessary conditions for such fighters. This was stated by retired military expert Colonel Viktor Litovkin in an interview with Izvestia on August 23.

The President of Ukraine noted that Athens has joined the declaration on long-term security guarantees to Kiev, adopted by the Group of Seven on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius

Greece will take part in the training program for Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighters. This was stated by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

The first-ever joint exercises of the Russian and Chinese Navies in the Bering Sea have strengthened military cooperation between the two countries, writes Shukan Gendai. The maneuvers gave Moscow an opportunity to show Washington its might, and Beijing — to turn to the experience of an ally and create a striking force off the American coast

Kiev may receive the first batch of aircraft before the New Year

Western countries have agreed to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine, the Netherlands and Denmark will send the first batches of aircraft. Kiev may receive something before the New Year, but most of the deliveries will be in 2024. At the same time, Ukraine must fulfill a number of conditions concerning the training of pilots, technicians and infrastructure. Izvestia was looking into how the use of Western aviation would affect the course of hostilities.

The United States and Europe understand relations with Russia differently, which means that their approaches to it in the framework of the Ukrainian conflict differ, writes Huanqiu Shibao. The former want to suppress Moscow, and the latter want to avoid aggravation. And if at the beginning the friction was unnoticeable, now the EU has questioned the need to dance to the American tune.

The United States failed to create a trilateral military alliance with Japan and South Korea, directed against China, writes Cumhuriyet. Washington is struggling to contain Beijing, but due to the weakening hegemony, it cannot get the desired results, the author of the article notes.

On August 18, 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 Australia through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) at the request of the Australian government of an additional number of HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) ground missile systems and a significant number of missiles to them are manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation. This delivery is approved by the U.S. Department of State. The total cost of the proposed delivery will be US$ 975 million, including missiles, and training and technical support packages.

On August 21, 2023, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the US Department of Defense sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned upcoming sale to Poland through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) at the request of the Polish government 96 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian combat helicopters. This delivery is approved by the U.S. Department of State. The total cost of the proposed delivery is estimated at $12 billion, including weapons, equipment, and training and technical support packages.

According to the magazine, by combining the capabilities of the F-16 and JASSM, the Ukrainian army will be able to double its forces

Ukraine wants to get American JASSM cruise missiles from Washington, which can help it capture Crimea. This was reported by Forbes magazine .

Washington and London have been increasingly involving Tokyo in their geopolitical games in recent years. Under the influence of the Americans, Japan took a confident course towards militarization.

The Bulgarian authorities have admitted the possibility of transferring about 100 units of Soviet-made armored vehicles to Ukraine. This was stated by Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, who recently visited Odessa on an official visit.

Croatia intends to implement large arms purchases. This is stated in the report of Croatian Defense Minister Mario Banojic to the country's parliament.

Within the framework of the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2023", the hydroacoustic station "Mayak-2014" was presented, designed to detect small underwater targets. The system has undergone a deep modernization, as a result of which the dimensions of the station have been reduced and the accuracy of detecting underwater objects has been increased.