Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid
Table of Contents 📖
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"The people who claim they want peace should be the ones clamoring the loudest to supply Ukraine with as many long-range weapons as possible, as quickly as possible, to destroy every single Russian airbase within Russia, certainly all of them west of the Urals. Anything less than this is both escalating the use of force and prolonging the war."
Hello Team!
Jonathan introduces the video, explaining it will be the second of three parts due to the amount of content to cover on military aid and geopolitics. He apologizes for the video being a bit late.
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Ramstein Meeting Takeaways
At the 17th Ramstein format meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses ahead of winter. Jonathan believes the priority is to secure the country internally to enable a functioning armed service. The five key takeaways from the meeting were:
- A new ground-based air defense coalition was formed, led by Germany and France with 20 countries participating.
- The Netherlands prepared €2 billion for military aid to Ukraine.
- Germany announced a $1.4 billion aid package including IRIS-T systems, anti-tank mines, a Patriot system, and artillery ammunition by mid-December.
- Estonia and Luxembourg are providing funding for the IT coalition's activities.
- The UK and Norway will work to further strengthen Black Sea security within the maritime coalition framework.
The Need for Air Defense and Deterrence
Analyst Andrew Perpetua expressed frustration at Russia's use of cluster bombs, highlighting the West's failure to supply necessary air defense and deterrence to Ukraine. He argues air defense for the military, including fighter jets and long-range missiles to strike Russian airbases, matters more than just defending cities. Failing to provide these weapons is seen as escalatory because it allows Russia to escalate further. Perpetua believes destroying Russia's air force would stop the murder of Ukrainian civilians. Jonathan agrees, emphasizing that showing strength will make Russia back down, while weakness will encourage them to fill the power vacuum.
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Additional Military Aid
- Germany updated its military aid to include Marder IFVs, mine-clearing and logistics vehicles, ambulances, shells, and crypto phones.
- The Bulgarian parliament approved providing 100 armored vehicles from the 1960s to Ukraine.
- Lithuania delivered small arms ammunition and winter equipment.
- North Macedonia completed training the first group of Ukrainian servicemen and will continue through 2024.
- Spanish 120mm mortar shells manufactured by Expal are in service with Ukrainian forces.
EU Considers Buying Ammunition Outside Europe
EU countries are considering purchasing ammunition for Ukraine from outside the EU if they fail to meet the promised 1 million shell pledge within a year. France initially wanted all production within the EU for financial benefits but it appears EU capacity cannot match the pledge. The option to procure externally will likely be agreed upon to meet the commitment to Ukraine.
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F-16 Jets and Dutch Politics
A Ukrainian lawmaker stated the best-case scenario for Ukraine operating F-16 jets is late spring 2024, later than initially hoped. In Dutch politics, far-right politician Geert Wilders, who opposes assisting Ukraine, won the most seats in the election. This could challenge future Dutch support, though forming a coalition may take 6 months, allowing continued aid in the near term.
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Drones and Russian Military Spending
- A second Ukrainian "kamikaze" marine drone washed up in Crimea without detonating.
- Russians report receiving modified Lancet drones with thermal imaging for nighttime operations, a significant concern for Ukraine. An intensification of Russian night drone activity was noted in the past week.
- The Russian parliament passed the 2024 budget, allocating over 1/3 of government expenditures to military spending, demonstrating the war's impact on Russia's finances.
Wrap up
Jonathan thanks viewers for watching and asks them to like, subscribe, and share the video. He mentions he will be working on the geopolitical update video next.
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