In order to take the upper hand on the battlefield, the Ukrainian army is mounting a counterattack against Russian soldiers. However, there are currently no indications that the allies will increase their military assistance to President Zelensky’s forces.
In the meantime, Moscow has taken further aggressive action by announcing the mobilisation of an extra 300,000 soldiers in reserve and declaring its willingness to employ all necessary methods to defend its territory, including potential annexation zones.
Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has received a range of military supplies from Western partners. But up to this point, it has held off on dispatching long-range missile systems, fighter fighters, and tanks in accordance with NATO requirements.
Kiev is currently concerned that, despite the assistance of the US and EU, President Putin’s warnings may deter Ukraine’s partners from providing heavy weaponry out of concern about a potential direct threat from Moscow to Ukraine.
The best response to Russia’s escalation is HIMARS, ATACMS, Abram, Leopard,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president. On Sunday, speaking on CBS , President Volodymyr Zelensky called for more missile systems, artillery, and tanks to help the country’s military step up its counterattack.
However, a senior European official claims that it is doubtful that the flow of weapons would increase or any of the previous restrictions will be removed because NATO and Europe have limited stockpiles of weapons and the US is behaving cautiously out of concern for a protracted confrontation.
Given the two-year cap on aid to Kiev, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said recent statements from Russia “would not impact” the US Department of Defense’s strategy.
“But of course they will be more cautious,” former Ukraine Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk said in an interview in Kiev, referring to Ukraine’s allies. “President Putin is swinging the nuclear stick, as long as he sees that this has a deterrent effect.”
There is no indication that European governments will provide Kiev with a fresh line of heavy weapons, according to four individuals familiar with the situation who were quoted by Bloomberg.
These individuals pointed out the German Leopard tank as a specific weapon Ukraine desired. This kind of tank is used by several NATO countries, including Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Greece, and Turkey, as well as NATO candidate Finland. However, they were only able to relocate Leopard tanks with Berlin’s consent. None of those nations, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, have made such a request to the German government.
Poland, which has already given Ukraine more than 250 tanks, is one of the countries that has supplied several tanks to Ukraine. yet they are all Soviet-made. Poland, whose supplies are running low, is presently waiting for 116 Abrams M1A1 tanks to arrive from the US early next year so it can meet its own security requirements before sending more to Ukraine.
Since the crisis started in late February, the US has given Ukraine $15.1 billion in military aid, while Germany has contributed $711 million, including air defence systems. The Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive in the Kharkov region was effective thanks to Gepard mobile.
