The UK has formed a secret task force to purchase weapons for Ukraine. The newspaper reported The New York Times (NYT) on Thursday, February 23, citing a document from sources.
As noted, Western countries are trying to find Soviet-made ammunition, because the Ukrainian army still relies mainly on these weapons, despite abundant supplies of foreign-style military equipment. This task, set before the British specialists, is constantly becoming more complicated, as the stocks of suppliers are rapidly depleted.
In this regard, the United States and other Western states are looking for weapons at factories in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania, and Luxembourg is transferring weapons made in the Czech Republic. In addition, Bulgaria’s arms exports soared last year, reaching $3 billion, five times more than in 2019.
The newspaper notes that Western countries are trying to find alternative sources, investing millions of dollars in workarounds that keep transactions secret and avoid political consequences.
On February 15, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that the conflict in Ukraine demonstrated the vulnerability of Europe’s defense, as well as the depletion of weapons in the region due to military assistance to Kyiv. According to him, the ability of European countries to defend themselves at the moment is at the level “below the plinth”.
Wallace also noted that the armed forces of Ukraine should learn how to use ammunition more economically, as the armies of NATO countries do. He stressed that Kyiv uses a huge amount of ammunition to protect itself.
On February 9, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called for the joint purchase of military equipment for the needs of Ukraine, similar to COVID-19 vaccines. She explained that European countries will allocate funds, the European Commission will purchase military equipment, and then it will be sent to Ukraine.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kiev against the backdrop of a special operation by the Russian Federation to protect Donbass, the decision to conduct which was made against the backdrop of an aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
