Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid News

"It's like saying uh you know murder is really bad but I'm going to sell this knife that I know is going to be used in a murder ... like you what what are you doing there just doesn't make much sense"

Hello Team

🎦 00:00-00:17⏩

Jonathan welcomes viewers to the second part of the Ukraine War Update for 22nd June 2024 which focuses on Military Aid.

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EU to provide Ukraine €3bn from frozen Russian assets

🎦 00:17-02:18⏩

The EU will give Ukraine almost €2 billion next week, the first tranche of proceeds from frozen Russian assets. A further €1.something billion will be given in July. Jonathan jokes that if it was his payday, he'd be straight down the Raytheon mall buying Patriots!

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Netherlands and unnamed donor country to send Patriot battery to Ukraine

🎦 02:18-04:36⏩

The Netherlands, together with an unnamed donor country, will send a Patriot system to Ukraine. The Netherlands has already supplied launchers to Ukraine, and will provide a radar and three launchers. The unnamed donor country will provide the remaining components - an engagement control station, antenna mask grip, and electrical power plant. Jonathan speculates that with the Patriot systems promised by the US, Germany and Romania, plus the Samp T from Italy, Ukraine could be getting close to the 7 it desperately needs. He jokes that 2 Patriots from Israel must be on the cards and suggests Ukraine get some orders in with Raytheon.

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Polish President Duda raises concerns over US Patriot missile prioritisation

🎦 04:36-06:50⏩

Polish President Duda has said that the US decision to prioritise Ukraine over other countries for deliveries of Patriot missiles is a problem as it will delay the modernisation of the Polish army. Jonathan explains the difference between the Polish President and Prime Minister, who are from different parties. He points out that Duda's comments could just be an observation or a complaint and is unsure whether this represents a change in Poland's approach to the US. He speculates whether this means that Poland will look to South Korea for air defense systems instead of the US, and questions whether it is something more serious than that.

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South Korea considers sending lethal aid to Ukraine for the first time

🎦 06:50-10:49⏩

South Korea will consider sending lethal aid to Ukraine directly, for the first time, in response to the recent agreement between North Korea and Russia to supply arms. Jonathan notes that whilst this has been a long time coming, he hopes that South Korea's intentions are genuine and they follow through with sending aid. Ukraine expert Trent Telenko is excited about the potential of South Korean support for Ukraine, and lists their reserves of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles. However, South Korea has denied prioritising the export of 155mm artillery shells and anti-tank guided missiles to Ukraine.

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Roshel to deliver 1,500 Senator APCs to Ukraine

🎦 10:49-12:54⏩

Canadian company Roshel, run by an Israeli man married to a Ukrainian woman, has now sent 1,500 Senator armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, up from the 1,000 previously reported. Jonathan discusses the different variants of the Senator APC, including medical vehicles. Jonathan observes that the war in Ukraine is good advertising for the Military Industrial Complex as it's an opportunity for companies to showcase their products. He argues that whilst there is a moral dimension to Roshel's support of Ukraine (given the personal connections of the company's owners and the fact that they employ a number of Ukrainian refugees in Canada), they also have a business to run and it makes good business sense for companies to be seen to be doing the right thing.

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French defence company Thales to open a branch in Ukraine

🎦 12:54-13:49⏩

French defence company Thales has announced it will open a branch in Ukraine. Three agreements have been signed:

• To create an enterprise for supply and communication equipment, radar, electronic warfare, and air defence systems.
• For the maintenance and training of Ukrainian military on electronic warfare systems.
• For developing an attack drone in collaboration with a Ukrainian company.

Jonathan points out that this follows similar moves by other major defence companies like Rheinmetall and BAE Systems.

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Serbia accused of hypocrisy over arms sales to Ukraine

🎦 13:49-16:43⏩

A well-informed expert on NATO has said that Serbia has sold between €700 and €900 million worth of artillery shells to Ukraine, supplying 30% of all its artillery shells. Ivana Stradna, a Balkans expert, warns that Serbia plays both sides and does weapons deals with anyone for money. This has been met with criticism as Serbia has publicly supported Russia. Jonathan is angered by this hypocrisy. He points out that it is logically incoherent to condemn support for Ukraine while simultaneously selling arms to Ukraine for profit. He uses the analogy of saying that murder is wrong but then selling a knife to someone knowing that they will use it to commit murder.

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Ukraine develops drone that can carry nine IEDs

🎦 16:43-21:53⏩

Jonathan reports that there has just been an explosion at a power plant in Kyiv, but with no air raid sirens. He will look into it and report back in a later video. Jonathan then backtracks to show viewers footage of a Ukrainian-developed drone that can carry nine IEDs, as well as a Russian drone armed with an AK-74. Jonathan notes that both sides in the conflict are constantly trying to gain a technological edge in their use of drones.

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Ukraine produces dual gauge rail cars

🎦 17:16-19:35⏩

Ukraine has been producing their own dual gauge rail cars in Lviv to improve the efficiency of grain exports. This will help to bring down the cost of rail transport. Jonathan explains that the different rail gauges used in Ukraine and Europe make it difficult to transport goods, and that transferring grain from one hopper to another is very inefficient. He explains that whilst shipping is much more efficient, the Black Sea routes are subject to blockades, and developing dual gauge rail cars will lessen Ukraine's reliance on them.

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Wrap up

🎦 21:53-22:27⏩

Jonathan signs off for the day and thanks his viewers. He lets viewers know that he may struggle to produce his daily geopolitical video later on, as he has friends coming over to play games.

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