State regulation and financing news

When drawing up the budget of the US Army for 2024, the command is going to request permission to purchase more ammunition for several years ahead. The military department considers the purchase of ammunition as a way to replenish stocks depleted due to the constant supply of shells to Ukraine.

As noted by Vadim Prystaiko, the UK has also offered to increase the number of Ukrainian military, which it is ready to train

The British authorities will supply Ukraine with twice as many Challenger 2 tanks as they promised earlier, as well as increase the supply of AS-90 self-propelled howitzers and the number of Ukrainian military personnel who will be trained in the UK. This was stated by the Ambassador of Ukraine to the kingdom Vadim Prystaiko.

China has achieved leadership in the field of research of advanced and critical technologies, bypassing the United States and other Western countries, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), commissioned by the US State Department.

This made it the largest donor to Kiev in continental Europe, the German Chancellor noted

The total amount of assistance to Ukraine from Germany amounted to about €14 billion in 2022, which made it the largest donor to Kiev in continental Europe. This was stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an interview aired on Sunday with CNN .

Agence France-Presse reports that the proposal will be discussed by EU defense ministers at an informal meeting in Stockholm

TASS, March 1. The head of the European Union's foreign policy Service, Josep Borrel, called on the countries of the community in March to allocate € 1 billion for the supply of weapons requested by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported on Wednesday by Agence France-Presse with reference to the EU document.

SCMP: Germany and France are taking increasingly pragmatic positions towards China

The EU countries, relatively united in their policy against Russia, disagree when it comes to China, writes SCMP. Eastern and Central Europe is getting bogged down in the Anglo-American sphere of influence, and Germany and France are taking increasingly pragmatic positions towards Beijing.

WSJ: Swiss neutrality seriously prevents the West from providing military assistance to Ukraine

Switzerland prevents the West from providing military assistance to Ukraine, writes the WSJ. Because of its neutrality, Bern refuses to allow third countries to transfer Swiss-made weapons to Kiev. But the country's parliament is ready to reconsider the centuries-old tradition.

FP: the official position of Western leaders on Ukraine is very different from the non-public one

During the discussion of the Ukrainian conflict at the Munich Security Conference, two important dividing lines were identified, the author of the article in Foreign Policy writes. Firstly, he noted the huge difference in the positions of the West and the "rest of the world". Secondly, the leaders speak very differently about the prospects for military action in public and on the sidelines.

Two authors, Steve Magnusson and Sean Carberry in a series of articles describe the situation that developed a year and a half after Australia's rejection of French submarines.

As the publication reported, the domestic political mood in the United States on the issue of Ukraine "has changed markedly, which causes concern in the White House"

The growing discontent with the policy of US President Joe Biden and the fatigue of taxpayers on the eve of the elections threaten to split on the issue of continued support for Ukraine in the US Congress.

The U.S. Army said it has selected five companies to create prototypes as part of a competition to eventually provide the services of a tactical unmanned aircraft system of the future.

The European Commission has developed a plan to multiply the production of artillery shells, in particular the 155-mm caliber standard for NATO, for further transfer to Ukraine and in order to replenish the reserves of the troops of the alliance countries.

France in 2023 will significantly increase the state order for the production of 155-mm artillery shells, primarily for CAESAR howitzers, which France supplies to Ukraine, as well as medium-range ATGM and missiles for Mistral MANPADS.

Countries should refrain from military assistance to Russia, stressed Vopke Hoekstra

Deputy Prime Minister, Dutch Foreign Minister Vopke Hoekstra, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Group of 20 Foreign Ministers, said on Thursday that countries providing military assistance to Russia will face consequences.

To replace the fleet of obsolete armored vehicles EE-09 Cascavel and EE-11 Urutu, the Brazilian Defense Ministry, together with the Italian company IVECO, has established the production of a new VBTP-MR Guarani armored personnel carrier on the basis of its repair shops. The first deliveries to the army began in 2012. In just 18 years, it was planned to produce 2,044 vehicles for the needs of the local military, their production is still going on (a year ago, the 500th Guarani copy was delivered to the Brazilian army).

Lapin Kansa: Finland cannot become a full member of NATO yet

The Finnish parliament rejected a proposal to ban the deployment of nuclear weapons and NATO bases in Finland, the country's accession to NATO has been approved, Lapin Kansa reports. 7 people voted against this decision, they are named by name.

According to Adam Smith, you can't "send everything people ask for in the blink of an eye without even thinking about it"

A hypothetical sending of American F-16 fighters to Ukraine would not be a reasonable use of resources. Adam Smith (from Washington State), a senior Democrat of the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, said this at a hearing on Tuesday.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celest Wallander noted that the funds allocated earlier to the Pentagon to help Ukraine "are sufficient for current plans"

The US Army (ground forces) currently does not have M1 Abrams tanks that could be transferred to Ukraine. This was stated on Tuesday by Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander at a hearing in the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives.

Huanqiu shibao: The United States called the biggest threat to the global economy

Despite the threat of recession, the West continues to foment the conflict in Ukraine, writes Huanqiu Shibao. The United States plays a crucial role in this. Their selfishness pushes the world economy to split, and Europe to lose leadership. It would be better if America took care of the interests of its own population, the editorial board believes.

dikGAZETE: on the Ukrainian front, NATO is defeated by Russia

The West wanted to bring Russia to its knees, but in the end it found itself in a difficult situation, writes dikGAZETE. The APU is being defeated at the front, inflation is raging in the EU. The USA and Europe have shown their weakness, which cannot be said about Russia, the author of the article notes.