/Pgled.info/ Western industry does not have time to satisfy the needs of the VSU. According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the EU will not be able to deliver a million artillery shells to Ukraine by the spring of 2024, despite its promise. Will the regime in Kiev have enough ammunition?
30%
On March 20, the EU’s foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell pathetically declared the decision for one million shells for Kiev historic and promised to release two billion euros. Then Western tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles were already imported. Ukraine was pumped with weapons for the spring-summer counter-offensive and generous promises were not spared.
By November it became clear that they could not be fulfilled. Boris Pistorius admitted: The European Union overestimated its power. In March, by the way, there were also many skeptics. “Unfortunately, they were proved right,” the minister said. And he added: “The goal was unrealistic.” Kiev received only about 300 thousand shells of 155 caliber.
Borel now says the EU “does not have a separate munitions depot” for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg considers the situation complex.
Nine months ago, everything was different. The European Union put everything on the line, counting on the success of the VSU operation. They probably thought that Ukrainian victories on the battlefield would force Russia to ask for peace. And previous promises will become irrelevant.
However, the much-hyped counter-offensive completely failed. No significant results. The positional “stabbing” continues, in which the artillery plays a decisive role. The Ukrainian army spends six to ten thousand artillery ammunition per day. Three hundred thousand is enough for a month and a half at best.
Doubts of industrialists
Politicians immediately blamed the manufacturers. In particular, Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Olongren pointed to them: “We signed contracts, we made joint purchases. The industry had to fulfill everything.”
Borel, in turn, accused the producers of continuing to export 40% of their production, bypassing Ukraine. The European Aerospace, Security and Defense Industry Association said they had not had time to prepare to fulfill orders for Kiev and were in any case busy replenishing domestic stocks.
The European defense industry is extremely cautious in assessing the prospects for further involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. The industry is thinking about how to recover costs. And the uncertainty grows – what if the fighting stops the day after the production line goes live?
Results of deindustrialization
Politicians and gunsmiths clearly did not expect a major war. The emphasis was on new technologies, high-precision weapons, satellite arrays, aviation and cruise missiles. Such high technologies, as practice shows, are effective in local conflicts. But not on a front line of hundreds of kilometers, with tens of thousands of soldiers.
After the end of the Cold War, the deindustrialization of the West essentially began. Many defense enterprises have been closed or reassigned. In the name of economy, ancillary production was outsourced to Third World countries. The rest do not develop and focus on small batches of products.
For the rapid restoration of production capacity, much more funds are needed than are currently allocated. And the EU is not in a position to waste money at all. Anti-Russian sanctions hit its economy like a boomerang. The lion’s share of the budget is now consumed by expensive American gas.
“But there is also a political problem,” adds Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy head of the Institute for the CIS Countries. “After the failure of the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the EU does not believe that the funds allocated to Kiev will be of any use. The anti-Russian sanctions have also not worked “Most likely, Europe will turn to peace negotiations,” the expert believes.
However, Ukrainian weapons have something to shoot. Already in the summer, the West reacted to the shortage of 155-mm high-explosive shells and organized deliveries of cluster ammunition of the same caliber, which are banned in many countries around the world. They are devastating to infantry even in trenches, but are virtually harmless to cover, armored vehicles, and soldiers in buildings.
The greatest threat is to civilians. Unexploded submunitions can lie in the grass for years and detonate on contact. But, of course, such “trifles” do not bother Ukraine’s allies at all.
Translation: V. Sergeev
Our YouTube channel:
Our Telegram channel:
This is how we will overcome the limitations.
Share on your profiles, with friends, in groups and on pages.
#goal #unrealistic #European #countries #deceived #Ukraine
