Over the past few days, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy secured new military assistance from several key European allies, including Germany, France, the UK, and Italy. However, the various combat systems, vehicles, and other equipment provided by each country reveals a highly fragmented European defense industry. This can create supply chain issues on and off the battlefield, which will need to be remedied by the EU and its continental partners’ new investments in the expansion of military manufacturing. Investments in scaling up Europe’s defense industry will take many years and billions of dollars – some of which has already been laid out.
Related ETF: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR)
Just days after the White House committed another $1.2 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine, which brought the US’s cumulative commitment of arms, vehicles, and other equipment to nearly $37 billion since the start of Russia’s formal invasion of the country on February 24, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy embarked on a tour of key European nations this week to secure even more supplies from continental allies.
Zelenskyy kicked off his spate of visits in Italy, where he and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni agreed on the supply of weapons and air defence for Ukraine. No details were given regarding which supplies would be provided, but Italy has previously sent Samp-T air defence systems to Ukraine, along with Israeli-designed anti-tank munitions manufactured in Italy.
The Ukrainian President was then off to Berlin, wherein the German government announced it would supply Ukraine with an aid package worth nearly $3 billion. The package is Germany’s largest single commitment to Ukraine’s defense thus far, and may include a variety of military hardware, including 20 Marder armored personnel carriers, 30 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, more than 100 combat vehicles, 18 self-propelled Howitzers, 200 reconnaissance drones, four IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft systems and other air defence equipment.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country “will train and equip” several Ukrainian battalions and provide them with “tens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RCs.” Macron also said…
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