The Effect of American Weapons
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 8 September 2022
by Nikolas Busse (link to
original)
In the debate here at home, we often act as if Ukraine would be lost without arms transports from Germany. In reality, it depends above all on the U.S.
In the German debate about arms transports, one increasingly gets the impression that Ukraine would be lost if our government did nothing. That in itself is already misleading because it all depends on the United States more than anyone else.
The U.S. is by far the most important supplier of weapons to the besieged country. At the U.S. military base in Ramstein, and in Kyiv, members of Joe Biden’s cabinet recently announced a new aid package that increases total American aid to Ukraine to $15.2 billion. No other Western country can keep up with that.
Without Modern Western Tanks
The other question that is being heatedly discussed here at home has not proven to be pivotal either. Even without modern Western tanks, the Ukrainian army could have initiated a counteroffensive, which has apparently already produced some initial success. We will have to wait and see how lasting that success proves to be.
But it is obvious that Ukraine’s recent advances were made possible by Western equipment and especially by multiple rocket launchers from the U.S. There was a reason Vladimir Putin wanted to prevent Washington from delivering these exact weapons.
Still, the conflict will probably continue to be a war of attrition for the foreseeable future. A quick end to the conflict is unlikely. For Ukraine, it would still be a victory if it could pressure Russia to take a seat at the negotiating table on its terms.
In the German debate about arms transports, one increasingly gets the impression that Ukraine would be lost if our government did nothing. That in itself is already misleading because it all depends on the United States more than anyone else.
The U.S. is by far the most important supplier of weapons to the besieged country. At the U.S. military base in Ramstein, and in Kyiv, members of Joe Biden’s cabinet recently announced a new aid package that increases total American aid to Ukraine to $15.2 billion. No other Western country can keep up with that.
Without Modern Western Tanks
The other question that is being heatedly discussed here at home has not proven to be pivotal either. Even without modern Western tanks, the Ukrainian army could have initiated a counteroffensive, which has apparently already produced some initial success. We will have to wait and see how lasting that success proves to be.
But it is obvious that Ukraine’s recent advances were made possible by Western equipment and especially by multiple rocket launchers from the U.S. There was a reason Vladimir Putin wanted to prevent Washington from delivering these exact weapons.
Still, the conflict will probably continue to be a war of attrition for the foreseeable future. A quick end to the conflict is unlikely. For Ukraine, it would still be a victory if it could pressure Russia to take a seat at the negotiating table on its terms.
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