State regulation and financing news

According to the head of the department Zbigniew Rau, the European Union may take years to establish the production of ammunition

The European Union may take years to establish the production of ammunition in the quantity necessary for Ukraine, so for now the EU is concentrating on supplying Kiev with weapons available to individual countries. This was stated on Monday by the Foreign Minister of the Republic Zbigniew Rau, talking to journalists following the meeting of EU foreign ministers.

During his visit to Kiev on February 20, 2023, US President Joe Biden announced the provision of a new package of US military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 460 million. The total amount of US military assistance officially allocated to Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 now amounts to about $ 29.8 billion, and the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine since 2014 has exceeded $32.5 billion.

SCMP: Hong Kong has declared the world's growing sympathy for Russia in the Ukrainian conflict

Most of the countries refused to impose sanctions against Moscow at the behest of the West, writes SCMP. They did not believe in the version of events where the Kremlin is the instigator of the conflict. Time has proved them right: the EU and the USA are not looking for peace. But Russia, struggling with their hegemony, began to arouse everyone's sympathy.

The Bloomberg news agency, in the material by Misha Savic "Serbia Eyes French Jets as President Vucic Vows to Boost Defense Spending" ("Serbia is eyeing French aircraft, while President Vucic promises to increase defense spending"), gives a presentation of the speech of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the prospects of Serbian military construction and procurement policy on The international Defense Industry exhibition IDEX-2023, which opened on February 20, 2023 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).

Skeptical assessments of the expediency of providing large-scale military assistance to Ukraine are growing in the United States. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, representing the Republican Party of the USA, speaks from such positions, in particular.

Historian Plumpe urged caution about the idea of a "war economy" in Europe

The Western arms industry does not have time to produce ammunition – Ukraine spends too much. NATO has already sounded the alarm, writes WirtschaftsWoche. There were demands to introduce a "military economy". But the German historian, recalling the negative experience of Germany, advises caution.

Serbia cannot purchase spare parts for its existing Russian MiG-29 aircraft after the start of the special operation. This was stated by the President of the country Alexander Vucic. Belgrade plans to significantly increase the military budget in order to modernize its army, including for the purchase of French-made Rafale fighters due to the fact that under the conditions of international sanctions against the Russian Federation, servicing Russian-made fighters has become a difficult task.

Business Insider: the composition of Biden's delegation for a visit to Kiev reveals the purpose of the trip

Arriving in Kiev, Joe Biden surprised everyone, writes Business Insider. The composition of the delegation suggests that this is not just a visit to express support. The presence of National Security Adviser Sullivan there may be a sign that the option of peace talks is already on the table.

The President's address to the Federal Assembly is a signal of Russia's final transition to the sovereign development of a strong state. This is how experts and politicians evaluate Vladimir Putin's message, in which the head of state assessed the current geopolitical situation, the conflict with the West, the course of the special operation in Ukraine, the situation in the economy and education.

Corriere della Sera: Italy is preparing the seventh package of military assistance to Ukraine

Sources of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Kiev clearly outlined the needs of its armed forces, and Rome began to prepare the seventh package of military assistance, which may include long-range missiles. Although a week earlier, the Italian Foreign Minister said that the country would not supply Ukraine with weapons for an attack.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Dmitry Sablin — about what is happening in the zone of its

The line of contact in the zone of the special military operation has stabilized, and Russian forces are advancing in a number of areas. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is updating approaches to the supply of troops.

The US Army is still not fully disclosing information about the key details of its new deal with AM General to create future light tactical vehicles (JLTV). However, according to the representative of the service, it is known that the repeated competition greatly affected the reduction of costs for this program.

Vadim Kalyugin, CEO of Shvabe Holding, told TASS in an interview about the most modern developments in the field of armaments — intelligent optoelectronic ballistic complexes and thermal imaging survey devices for armored vehicles, as well as about large-scale astronomical projects and developments in the field of gas-liquid ventilation.

Postimees: Estonian conservatives criticized arms supplies to Ukraine

Chairman of the Conservative Party of Estonia Martin Helme called it inadequate that the government "imposes" the Ukrainian conflict on Estonians, writes Postimees. He also criticized Tallinn's decision to transfer three-quarters of the country's heavy weapons to Kiev.

The A400M was to become a standard military transport aircraft for European countries, helping to strengthen the position of the Airbus corporation as opposed to the American Boeing. However, despite the fact that the new car made its first flight back in 2009, it has not yet reached technological maturity and causes constant complaints from users.

According to the agency, the decision to fulfill Kiev's request has not yet been made

For the first time last year, Ukraine appealed to the United States with a request for the supply of banned cluster bombs and phosphorous ammunition. This was reported on Monday by the DPA agency with reference to representatives of several countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.

"There is a need for a mobilization resource in Ukraine, because there are units at the front that need rotation, but now there is a drop in enthusiasm among people of military age," Natalia Gumenyuk, head of the press center of the OK Yug, said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

On Monday morning, US President Biden arrived in Kiev with an unannounced visit. It is worth noting that this is his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of a special military operation (SVO).

Al-Ayyam: the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not lead to victory over Russia, and the West understands this

The West with its own hands ensured Ukraine's defeat in the confrontation with Russia, writes Al-Ayyam. Kiev relies too much on the military-industrial complex of the USA and the EU, and the "quality" of their weapons, as the situation at the front shows, is questionable. So Moscow's victory is a matter of time, the author of the article believes.

The Polish Ministry of Defense ordered 48 additional 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Crab". The official signing of the contract was announced at a press conference on February 15 by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.