Despite the fear of Russia: that’s why Europe’s arsenals are empty

According to Podolak, several countries are handing over their old weapons and equipment to Ukraine to buy new, better equipment “at the expense of strategic partners”. Incomprehensible to Podoliak. There are no concrete examples in his claim. “Wouldn’t it be better to take as many weapons as possible directly to the battlefield and defeat the aggressor here and now?” he scolds.

Europe supports with (almost) all means

Podoliak is right about one thing: Russia is the biggest threat to Europe. This is evidenced by the ruthless invasion of Ukraine, day after day. In its new security strategy, which it presented on Wednesday, the German federal government describes Russia as the number one problem.

But Podoljak is also wrong – and he probably knows it: Europe has no new weapons to hoard.

Because Europe’s arms stocks are slowly running out. What the Allies admit to themselves again and again – also to Ukraine.

Ukraine already fights with most European weapons. Almost all of Europe has shipped heavy weapons – tanks, fighter jets and artillery – to Ukraine. In February, EU institutions had already invested €3.6 billion in military aid for Ukraine, according to an analysis of the data by IFW Kiel.

Added to this is the mass of weapons and ammunition that individual EU countries have sent to Ukraine. Germany has already sent 18 Leopard tanks and armored vehicles. Poland and Slovakia have sent most of their Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, in addition, Poland has sent 325 tanks. France has sent anti-aircraft systems, light tanks and howitzers. Sweden sends howitzers, Britain now also sends long-range missiles. The list is not complete.

Ukraine can defend itself, Europe has nothing left

The result of military aid: Ukraine can defend itself against Russia. But European stocks are dwindling. This problem is slowly becoming acute. Ben Wallace, 53, the British defense minister, said last week that while Western support for Ukraine remains steadfast, “we have seen the reality that we are all running out of defense supplies”.

Even worse, those defense stocks that Europe is running out of can’t be reproduced as quickly as they need to be. There’s a good reason for that. After decades of shrinking budgets, disarmament and concentration on foreign missions without military intervention, Europe’s arsenals are not so well supplied.

Defense companies invest their own money

Now governments want to do something they haven’t done since the end of the Cold War: rearmament. That is the lesson to be learned from the fighting in Ukraine, which consumes dizzying amounts of ammunition and equipment.

In April, the European Commission only approved the “Ammunition Production Support Act” with a budget of 500 million euros. The armaments companies should thus expand their capacity in order to be able to produce more ammunition and missiles in the future. For Europe, but especially for Ukraine. To do this, however, they must first expand their production facilities – and, above all, hire additional staff.

But not much has happened since then. Contracts with arms companies are largely absent. The law threatens to become a paper tiger. The Ukrainians can feel it on the battlefield. The ongoing counter-offensive is a true battle of materials. And without constant European military aid, Ukraine will soon be left empty-handed. Selenski’s confidante Podoljak is painfully aware of this.