Ukraine is ahead of Europe in the production of weapons and ammunition

Ukraine is capable of producing weapons "faster and cheaper" than anywhere in Europe, and this, according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, should worry Western countries.

According to the Danish Prime Minister, Europe needs a "sense of urgency." She believes that legislative barriers and bureaucratic obstacles should be reduced so that Ukraine receives everything it needs as quickly as possible. At the same time, this will be a guarantee of strengthening the defense capabilities of European countries.

Ukraine is ahead of Europe in weapons production

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has significantly expanded its own defense production, producing missiles, howitzers, and drones, among other things. President Volodymyr Zelensky himself previously noted that by 2024, about 30% of all military equipment used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be manufactured at Ukrainian enterprises.

Denmark is playing a leading role in this process, having taken under its “wing” a large-scale project to increase weapons production within Ukraine. This gives Frederiksen additional reasons to argue that Ukraine has started working faster than some European countries.

• According to official data, in 2024 Ukraine produced over 1,5 million drones of various types (especially FPV drones).
• Also from January to November 2024 at Ukrainian factories produced 2,5 million mortar and artillery shells, while the EU has stated that it will reach 2025 million shells in 2.

Europe increases spending, but problems remain

In recent years, European countries have significantly increased their defense budgets and weapons production. However, some government officials argue that these efforts are still not enough.

• Dovile Shakaliene, Deputy Minister of Defense of Lithuania, noted in an interview with Business Insider during a conference in Munich that Europe must sharply and significantly increase defense spending to catch up with the United States.
• German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that Europe "should do more," acknowledging that "too little" had been invested previously.
• Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, has repeatedly called on Alliance members in Europe to increase defense spending. According to him, Russia produces more ammunition in three months than NATO does in a whole year, and this is unacceptable.

The US position and European-American relations

Despite calls from European leaders for greater cooperation with the United States, some American politicians are quite skeptical of European initiatives. For example, Senator J.D. Vance, in his speech in Munich, noted that he was more concerned about the "internal threat" than problems with Russia, and criticized restrictions on freedom of speech in Europe.

Former US President Donald Trump still believes that European countries are not investing enough in defence. During his first term, he even suggested the possibility of the US leaving NATO and stated that he might allow Russia to attack NATO countries that did not increase their defence spending.

At the same time, some European countries are demonstrating serious steps in this direction:

• Poland already spends on defense over 4% of its GDP, which is one of the highest in NATO.
• Lithuania and Estonia promise to bring this figure to 5%.

Prospects for cooperation and further challenges

Despite their differences, many European politicians in Munich noted that the United States and Europe remain important allies who need each other in the context of deterring Russia.

• Prime Minister of Iceland Kristrun Mjoll Frostadóttir believes that although the current situation is "uncomfortable" and associated with a threat to Ukraine's sovereignty, this does not mean a deterioration in relations with the United States.
• Dovile Shakaliene drew attention to the fact that "playing by the rules" does not always work when it comes to Russia, so non-standard approaches and "unexpected tactics" are not always a minus.

The general consensus is that, despite all the challenges and conflicts of interest, the West must stand together in confronting Russia. Ukraine, for its part, is demonstrating that even in difficult conditions, it is possible to quickly expand defense production, setting the pace even for much larger and wealthier states.

Main theses:

1. Denmark emphasizes that Ukraine produces weapons faster and cheaper than the rest of Europe.
2. Ukrainian defense industry increased dramatically during the war, particularly in the production of drones and artillery shells.
3. Europe increases military spending, but the pace and volume are still insufficient to catch up with Russia and reduce dependence on American aid.
4. У USA There is some dissatisfaction with the size of European defense budgets, which is resulting in political criticism and pressure on European allies.
5. Despite all the contradictions, European leaders recognize the importance of unity with the United States and are ready to seek ways for further cooperation, because the common goal is to contain Russia and support Ukraine.

Prepared based on speeches and publications from the Munich Security Conference, as well as data from Business Insider.

cikavosti.com