The “Ramstein group”, the name given to NATO members who meet in Germany at the US military base, continued their discussions in Brussels on Wednesday to speed up their deliveries of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. The objective is to find the industrial means to speed up their deliveries of arms and ammunition. On the request for fighter jets to better resist the Russian invasion, Jens Stoltenberg, the Alliance’s secretary general, is more nuanced.
In Brussels, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiï Reznikov had insisted on obtaining devices by smoothing out on camera a scarf he carried in a pocket on which a fighter jet was drawn.
Air defense
The demand is sensitive in more ways than one and depending on the country. Some, like Germany, fear crossing a point of no return in their relations with Russia. Others, such as France, the United Kingdom or Poland, say they are willing to study this issue without taboos. London even promised to train crews without specifying which aircraft.
The truth is that these donations, if they become official, will require significant time, which can be counted in months, to check the devices and train the pilots and mechanics in the case of Western devices such as the American F-16 or Mirage. French 2000-Ds. According to the spokesman for the Ukrainian army, the training would have started in the United States. This claim has not been confirmed by Washington, which officially opposes sending the planes.
Several announcements were made on Tuesday, including the supply of a Mamba air defense system (SAM-T), the equivalent of the Patriot, by France and Italy. A weapon valued at 500 million euros.
France will also produce 155mm shells with Australia, and the AMX-10 RC armored vehicles promised to Ukraine will be delivered in the coming days. The Pentagon announced a $552 million contract with two arms companies to produce 155mm rounds for kyiv. The first deliveries are expected in March.
Germany has reported the relaunch of a production line for Gepard air defense tank munitions. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the first contract is for 300,000 munitions to be delivered to kyiv starting in July.
Source: BFM TV
