“Learned something again” podcast: NATO supplies Ukraine with these weapons

The NATO countries have very different views of what Russia is planning in Ukraine. The help of the members is correspondingly different. The most powerful weapon could possibly bring Russia to its knees without bloodshed.

What does Vladimir Putin want in Ukraine? It probably knows only the Russian President alone. Even experts on foreign policy, who even advise the Kremlin, have already revealed to the “New York Times” that they “no damn idea” to have. The rest of the world is just as confused. US President Joe Biden can envisage a “minor” invasion of Russia, whatever that means exactly. The British government suspects that Russia wants to overthrow the Ukrainian leadership and install a pro-Russian one. The German military leadership believes that Putin simply wants respect, as Navy chief Kay-Achim Schönbach said during a visit to an Indian think tank last weekend.

Whatever Putin wants, he has already achieved one thing: the NATO countries have a completely different opinion on what to do. This becomes apparent when looking at the aid provided by the individual alliance partners.

The federal government has recalled naval chief Schönbach from his post, but seems to share his opinion in essence. Unlike the United States and Great Britain, it is not withdrawing its diplomats from Ukraine. Unlike the governments in Washington and London, it also does not provide the country with weapons. In view of the escalating situation, that was “not helpful at the moment,” Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in the “Welt am Sonntag”.

“Betrayal of Friends”

Instead, Ukraine will receive 5,000 military helmets from Germany. And in February a field hospital. If the German Russia experts are wrong, the Ukrainian army can at least treat their wounded. “A drop in the bucket,” complains the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk. “Failure to provide assistance and betrayal of friends,” complained the mayor of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.

“We definitely don’t want a war. That’s the worst thing that can happen. We hope for a peaceful solution to this crisis, but not at the expense of our country,” he said in an interview with RTL and ntv. “If someone wants to attack us, we need support. And arms deliveries are support. And when the German government blocks arms deliveries from Estonia to Ukraine, we don’t understand that.”

Germany blocked

Estonia wanted to supply howitzers to Ukraine. However, they were previously stationed in the GDR, which is why the federal government blocked the delivery, the Wall Street Journal reported last weekend. Berlin does not allow the NATO ally to ship artillery pieces made in Germany.

Despite this, the Estonian government supplied Ukraine with weapons, and American ones at that. The US government has agreed that Estonia, as well as the two other Baltic nations Lithuania and Latvia, can provide Ukraine with American-made anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems.

Poland has also agreed to send arms to Ukraine. The country has already received combat drones from Turkey, which are said to have been used successfully against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

British and Canadians train

Great Britain provides additional personnel support. The British army has sent 30 elite units to the region to teach Ukrainian troops how to use anti-tank missiles. The British military is said to have said that in mid-January thousands flew to Kiev, as reported by the TV channel Sky News. According to the Canadian government, Canada is also training local troops in Ukraine.

On Monday, NATO further announced that Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain will send additional fighter jets and naval vessels to the region. Not to Ukraine, but to the Baltic Sea and Black Sea nations like Bulgaria, which are close to Russian-occupied Crimea. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, France is also considering sending troops. And the USA, the most powerful NATO country ever.

Change of strategy in Washington

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III. put 8,500 American troops on “high alert,” the Pentagon said on Monday. They have not yet moved out, but some are ready for action within five days.

According to the “New York Times” the troops could support allied NATO countries in Eastern Europe or the Baltic States should the situation escalate. The American military leadership submitted plans for various scenarios to President Biden last weekend, the newspaper reports. Accordingly, the contingent can be increased to up to 50,000 soldiers and expanded to include warships and fighter jets.

It is a change of strategy in Washington, because in December Biden had an American combat mission in Ukraine after a meeting with Vladimir Putin locked out. At the time, the US President did not threaten his Russian counterpart with weapons, but with sanctions. Economic sanctions that Putin has never seen before, Biden said afterwards. Putin understood that.

For once, it could be more than empty phrases. In December, the White House already had one $200 million security package approved for Ukraine. This includes classic military aid such as anti-tank missiles, machine guns, ammunition, radios, medical equipment and spare parts for vehicles.

Huawei as a warning?

According to the “Washington Post” the US government is also threatening to use the weapon that is currently in the process of ruining the Chinese company Huawei. He is said to have spied for the Chinese state with his smartphones and his 5G technology.

Biden’s predecessor, then US President Donald Trump, put Huawei on a blacklist for export controls in 2019 because of the allegations. They say more or less that Huawei can no longer buy semiconductors or microchips that contain American components. But no matter who ultimately makes a semiconductor, almost always a tiny part was made in the United States. Worse still, they are now part of almost every electronic product, regardless of the industry. In reality, the blacklist means that Huawei can hardly buy any semiconductors at all, unless they come from its Chinese homeland.

The consequences are gigantic. A few weeks ago, Huawei announced that sales last year plummeted by a third is. The smartphone business is practically dead. Months ago, management warned that Huawei would still be around in five to ten years.

The same fate now threatens the Russian economy. Perhaps the most powerful American weapon would not hurt soldiers, but companies and ultimately the population who want to buy smartphones, play computer games or drive cars.