US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) and the new German Secretary of Defense Boris Pistorius (right) on January 19, 2023 in Berlin. MICHAEL SOHN / AP
While Ukraine is still urging main battle tanks from its Western allies, several European countries on Thursday, January 19, announced the delivery of large quantities of military equipment to troops in Kyiv to enable them to resist Russian forces, but above all to prepare new offensives in the spring. Further announcements were expected on Friday, notably from the United States, at the end of the eighth meeting of countries providing military assistance to Ukraine at the American base in Ramstein (Germany).
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Denmark caused a surprise on Thursday by saying it is donating all of its 19 Caesar guns to Ukraine, including those that have not yet been shipped to the country by its manufacturer Nexter. In October 2022, Le Monde announced that Paris and Copenhagen are considering taking part in the Danish order, placed in 2017 and completed in 2019, to send to Ukraine. Six to twelve units were then named. This delivery will allow doubling the number of Caesars on the front lines in Ukraine, after France delivered eighteen examples of this howitzer, known for the precision of its shots – one of which is “completely out of order” but was confirmed on Wednesday announced the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu.
As another significant contribution, Sweden has decided to supply the Ukrainian army with archery guns, a model similar to the French Caesar, as well as 50 CV-90 armored personnel carriers and NLAW anti-tank missiles. In the same move, the United Kingdom pledged 600 Brimstone anti-tank guided missiles with a range of 60 kilometers, Lithuania two Mi-8 helicopters, and Latvia two Mi-17 helicopters. “The government decided today to send Estonia’s largest ever package of heavy weapons, [ce qui] brings our total military aid to Ukraine to more than 1% of our GDP,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said on Thursday, referring to “howitzers, grenade launchers and ammunition”.
Several Russian advances at the front
On Wednesday, the Netherlands formalized the delivery of a Patriot anti-aircraft battery, which will complement the two already pledged by the United States and Germany. For its part, France, in consultation with Italy, is considering giving Kyiv a SAMP/T Mamba battery that will very effectively defend the upper layers. According to our information, the announcement of delivery would only be a matter of weeks or even days. During a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand also pledged to send 200 of the senator’s infantry fighting vehicles, equipment the Ukrainians lack.
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