- Ukraine’s Western partners are short on weapons and cannot build them quickly enough to meet Kiev’s needs.
- Experts told The Washington Post that NATO countries are too slow to build munitions.
- It has also depleted its own stockpiles in the process, taking its toll on the long war in Ukraine.
Western countries in Ukraine have an ammunition problem.
Countries face dwindling stockpiles and are unable to produce weapons fast enough to support Kiev’s ambitions to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces. according to the Washington Post.
Many of Ukraine’s NATO partners, especially European countries, are not mobilizing their defense industries to meet battlefield needs for artillery, tanks, air defense systems and ammunition, defense experts told The Washington Post. It says.
Now, their efforts to quickly increase production may be in vain.
“It’s a little late to understand that European nations are making massive investments in artillery production 13 months into the war,” said Michael Coffman, director of the Russian Studies Program at the Naval Center. “You don’t have to be a good military analyst.” Analysis to the post.
Allies have pledged to send more weapons in recent months as Ukraine runs out of Soviet-made stockpiles.
Germany supplied Ukraine with its fast and deadly Leopard tanks in January, followed by the US Abrams tanks, which have a track record of crushing Soviet-era armor.
However, the decision was made reluctantly, as both Germany and the United States repeatedly rejected Kiev’s request for weapons. And it will be months, if not nearly a year, before they reach the battlefield.
Some experts told the Post that it was clear from the early stages of the Russian invasion that the war would last longer than anyone initially expected. Given this perception, Western leaders should have started investing in expanding manufacturing efforts rather than depleting their own stockpiles, they said.
“Every penny has gone down in the sense that this situation could linger and that we need to invest in our industry if we are to make this sustainable,” said Land War of the Royal United Services Institute. Senior researcher Jack Watling told the Post. “Actually, this was obvious in April last year, but people were outraged.”
Currently, Ukraine continues to consider when to launch its long-awaited counterattack, but it is unclear how successful it will be. However, Kiev’s use of Western-made armor could mark the beginning of a larger counterpunch, as it indicates that Ukraine has more of the artillery promised by its allies. is high.
