Ukraine's Weapons Wish List: What's on It and Will the West Deliver?
© AFP 2023 / GENYA SAVILOV
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Ukraine is striving to get more weapons as the US is shifting its focus toward Israel and the Gaza Strip. What arms does Kiev want, and will they help Ukraine tip the balance in its favor?
Ukrainian officials and their European allies have stepped up lobbying efforts to convince Washington to urgently provide the Kiev regime with more weapons, according to the US mainstream media.
For instance, last week, a delegation of Ukrainian officials, troops and advisers handed over their "wish list" to US officials in Washington DC which included new air defenses; the long-range, single-warhead version of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS); and US Marine Corps training on conducting ship-to-shore operations.
What else does Kiev need?
"The Kiev regime has a clear shortage of air defense systems, heavy weapons, artillery systems and armored vehicles," Moscow-based military expert Alexey Leonkov told Sputnik. "The Ukrainians have been losing these assets sporadically and periodically along the entire front line. But the main focus, of course, is artillery systems and multiple launch rocket systems, which [Russian] troops, located in the zone of the special military operation, knock out en masse daily – up to several dozen during one combat day."
Leonkov explained that artillery and multiple launch rocket systems are being used by Ukraine not only to attack Russia's military positions, but also to target residential areas and civilian infrastructure. He has drawn attention to the fact that Washington provided Kiev with a great deal of cluster munitions, having run out of the standard 155 mm shells.
The medium-range version of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) delivered by Washington to the Zelensky regime in September is also equipped with a cluster warhead. According to the US media, Kiev wants to get more single-warhead ATACMS with a greater striking range. However, the Department of Defense appears to be reluctant to send a long-range version to Ukraine in order to maintain enough ammo in its own stockpiles.
29 October 2023, 17:57 GMT
Israel Cause Outweighs Ukraine Conflict
The Biden administration is currently struggling to ram a new batch of Ukraine aid through the US Congress. The Dems wrapped it up in a larger package containing aid to Israel and border security funds. The newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson has made it clear that lawmakers will split the packages and vote for the Israeli batch first. For his part, President Joe Biden threatened to veto the bill if funds for Ukraine are not included.
The Biden administration is well aware that the US Congress' enthusiasm for supporting Kiev has considerably waned. Therefore, it was forced to combine Ukraine aid with other, more urgent measures, according to the US media. American journalists also admit that the US public has grown weary of the Ukraine conflict with no end in sight, too.
Leonkov highlighted that the US mainstream media had changed its tone while describing Ukraine's affairs. Most recently, a New York-based national magazine quoted Ukrainian military brass and officials as saying that the government forces failed to make any progress on the ground. A close aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the media outlet that even if Kiev receives the much-anticipated weapons, "we don’t have the men to use them."
Is There Any Point in Sending More Modern Arms to Ukraine?
The Zelensky regime has failed to live up to the expectations of its Western patrons, Leonkov noted. What's more, European powers appear to be reluctant to ramp up aid to Kiev, given that the price tags for weapons are soaring and Washington has yet to replenish their military stockpiles, the military expert noted.
"Ukraine promises a series of victories," Leonkov said. "But the facts show that these victorious reports, which [Kiev] announces almost every day, do not correspond to reality. And then the West asks, and especially Europeans ask, a fair question: 'What is the point of these military supplies if they do not bring the desired result?' […] [The EU] carried out all deliveries [of weapons to Ukraine] under pressure from the United States. […] The Americans promised some of their own systems in exchange for the supplied weapons. Now they are telling Europe: 'Wait, we now have urgent deliveries to Israel'."
28 October 2023, 14:00 GMT
Furthermore, EU member states have realized that the weapons they are going to acquire from the US in exchange for Ukrainian supplies now cost more, the military expert continued.
"For example, the 155 mm shells have quadrupled in price," Leonkov said. "That is, if before the Ukrainian conflict one high-explosive fragmentation shell cost approximately 2,000 euro, now it costs 8,000 euro. And that is just one example. This is not the most expensive product of NATO's military-industrial complex. How much will a new tank cost? How much will a new infantry fighting vehicle cost in the context of the economic crisis and rising costs of materials? It’s clear that Europeans are now more concerned about this issue than about helping Ukraine," he explained.
Thus, it's hardly surprising that the US and its NATO allies are more inclined to provide Kiev with legacy weapons or a mishmash of old arms systems, than modern missiles, air defenses and other military equipment, according to the analyst.
Recently, the US press reported that Western countries chose to provide Ukraine with refurbished Soviet-era T-72 tanks instead of new Challengers and Leopards. The reason behind this decision was the increasing number of Challengers and Leopards being destroyed by Russian forces in the conflict zone. Similarly, instead of receiving new Patriots or other advanced NATO-grade air defenses, Ukraine was promised what is known as FrankenSAMs by the Pentagon. FrankenSAMs consist of a mix of older Soviet launchers and relatively modern US missiles.
"One can carry out a lucrative financial scheme using Ukraine," Leonkov said. "To deliver the equipment within the financial limits provided to Ukraine and at the same time dispose of the [old] equipment without paying for the disposal. Thus, it turns out to be a double profit on military assistance to Ukraine," he noted.
The US media says Zelensky is aware that the West's support is about to fade even further amid the raging Palestinian-Israeli conflict. While the Kiev regime is relentlessly continuing its lobbying efforts, the fate of Ukraine's advance appears to be sealed.
