NYT WORLD: How a Tiny NATO Nation Tackled a Big Problem: Arming Ukraine
By Lara Jakes
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: February 17, 2023 at 02:00AM
There are no tanks, warplanes or Patriot air defense missiles to contribute to the Western push to arm Ukraine. The 102 anti-tank missiles and 20,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition Luxembourg has sent from its arsenal were as many weapons as it could afford to give without putting its own military readiness at risk.
So Luxembourg, a nation with a population of 640,000, decided to use its considerable wealth to try to buy weapons for Ukraine on the open market, and signed a multimillion-dollar deal last spring for 6,000 Soviet-era rockets. In the end, though, the government delivered only 600 and was left scrambling for ways to spend the money.
At a time when Western stocks of Soviet-era weapons and ammunition are running low, Luxembourg’s travails provide a window on the vexing problem of supplying Ukraine with the arms it needs to hold off Russia until the arrival of sophisticated Western rockets, missiles and tanks later this year.
By Lara Jakes
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: February 17, 2023 at 02:00AM
Luxembourg’s challenges in buying arms on the open market underscore the struggle to keep Ukraine supplied until sophisticated Western weapons arrive in the spring.
LUXEMBOURG — Luxembourg’s military consists of fewer than 1,000 troops, one cargo plane, two helicopters shared with police forces and fewer than 200 trucks, ranging from Humvees to about 10 state-of-the-art Dingo combat reconnaissance vehicles.There are no tanks, warplanes or Patriot air defense missiles to contribute to the Western push to arm Ukraine. The 102 anti-tank missiles and 20,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition Luxembourg has sent from its arsenal were as many weapons as it could afford to give without putting its own military readiness at risk.
So Luxembourg, a nation with a population of 640,000, decided to use its considerable wealth to try to buy weapons for Ukraine on the open market, and signed a multimillion-dollar deal last spring for 6,000 Soviet-era rockets. In the end, though, the government delivered only 600 and was left scrambling for ways to spend the money.
At a time when Western stocks of Soviet-era weapons and ammunition are running low, Luxembourg’s travails provide a window on the vexing problem of supplying Ukraine with the arms it needs to hold off Russia until the arrival of sophisticated Western rockets, missiles and tanks later this year.
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/world/europe/luxembourg-weapons-ukraine-nato.html
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