Allies accelerate shipment of military equipment to Ukraine

They are not weapons that are going to unbalance an asymmetric war between an invader, Russia, which is one of the planet's military powers, and an aggressor, Ukraine, with much more modest armed forces.

The military equipment that, for days and this weekend with greater intensity, the European capitals have announced that they will supply the Government of Kiev will hardly change the course of the military operation that, by land, sea and air, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched last Wednesday against the neighboring country.

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But the shipment, by some thirty countries, of weapons to Ukraine could complicate things for the Russian invader in his plans to overthrow the legitimate president, Volodímir Zelenski.

And, in the words of a source from the French presidency, it can "increase the price" for Putin of the operation so that he "cease military operations and accept a ceasefire that allows dialogue to be resumed under conditions that must be satisfactory to the Ukrainians." ”.

The list of contributing countries grows day by day.

Germany joined on Saturday after resisting for weeks.

The German government has reversed its policy on sending weapons to conflict zones three days after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has authorized the supply of 1,000 anti-tank missiles and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr (German Army) stocks to support the Ukrainian armed forces.

The weapons will be delivered "as soon as possible", the foreign minister's spokesman reported this Saturday afternoon.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point.

It threatens our entire postwar order.

In this situation, it is our duty to do everything possible to help Ukraine defend itself from the invading army of Vladimir Putin.

Germany is close to Ukraine,” Scholz said in explaining the decision.

A couple of hours earlier it had been known that the Government was also authorizing the Netherlands to deliver 400 German-made anti-tank grenade launchers to a war zone, something that until now had been categorically refused despite criticism from the allies and accusations lack of solidarity from the Ukrainian authorities.

Germany has had a very restrictive arms export policy for years, which in principle does not allow the delivery of lethal weapons to conflict zones.

The change in position of the Scholz government is important because Germany is one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world and as such can veto their re-export to conflict zones from third countries.

Anyone who wants to resell German weapons must ask Berlin for permission.

“Weapons and equipment from our partners on their way to Ukraine.

The anti-war coalition works!” President Zelensky celebrated early in the morning, in a message on the social network Twitter.

He has just spoken with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who has become one of his trusted interlocutors in Western Europe.

The day before, in a speech to Parliament, read by the presidents of both chambers, Macron declared: "We are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities to supply them with the defensive material they need."

France has not specified what material it is, only that it is of a defensive nature, such as what Zelenski requested from the French president.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo explained that his country will provide, also at Ukraine's request, 3,800 tons of fuel and 2,000 machine guns.

His Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, announced that he has sent 200 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Kiev and is preparing to send more defensive equipment "against Russian aggression."

Slovakia will give 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition in addition to fuel and anti-mine systems.

The aid is added to the deliveries of, among others, Poland, the Baltic countries or the United States, whose military aid to Ukraine has risen, in the last year, to 1,000 million dollars (890 million euros), according to a statement from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A new aid package, adds Blinken, "will include lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine deal with armored car, aircraft and other threats."

Until now, the Spanish government has not wanted to supply weapons, as Kiev has claimed, but plans to donate defensive material such as bulletproof vests and NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) equipment and suits, reports Miguel González.

The shipment of military equipment and weapons shows the limits of NATO's action in the face of the Russian invasion.

Ukraine, not being a member of the Atlantic Alliance, is not under its protective umbrella.

When weeks ago the threat from Russia, a nuclear power, began to become visible, the allies ruled out a military intervention to protect the Ukrainians.

This has limited the tools available to dissuade Putin or to punish him to economic sanctions and the reinforcement of the military presence in the countries bordering Ukraine.

The aid sparks a debate about the impotence of NATO and the EU in the face of Putin's plans.

France is convinced that it can be useful.

“The fall of Kiev is not inevitable.

The correlation of forces is so unbalanced that much will depend on the calculations made by President Putin”, says the aforementioned Elysée source, who requested anonymity.

And he explains: “When 175,000 soldiers have been deployed and when all means of artillery, aviation, navy, missiles are prepared to bring down Ukraine, the solution cannot be simply to equip Ukraine until it is at the level of Russia. .

The issue is to increase the cost of the war in such a way that President Putin is forced to revise his plans.

Let him calculate that he must not take Kiev and that he will pay too dearly for it”.

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