The West is focused on repairing the equipment already delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and not on sending new weapons. This was reported on July 19 by the Politico newspaper, citing a source in the Pentagon.
It is noted that the West has refocused on the repair and maintenance of already delivered weapons, as the conflict could last for months or even years. As the newspaper recalled, Ukraine’s Western allies have repeatedly expressed concern about the country’s ability to ensure the operation of the transferred equipment. In their opinion, the capabilities of Kyiv are significantly behind what the situation on the battlefield dictates. In connection with the counter-offensive and attempts to oust the Russian troops, this problem has escalated.
“We are organizing repair facilities in Europe, we are translating manuals (on training and repair. – Ed.), We need to do a lot more together, so (partner countries. – Ed.) Should pay more attention to this,” Pentagon deputy chief for procurement and technical support William LaPlante told the publication.
At the same time, Politico emphasizes that Ukraine has long been worried about the condition of many weapons transferred to it from the warehouses of the United States and allies, as some of them need to be repaired. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have to send their equipment for repairs to Poland and the Czech Republic, which takes more time.
The article states that as a result of the counter-offensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost a number of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and Leopard tanks were also damaged. It is their repair that is a priority. The situation is complicated by the fact that Berlin and Warsaw have not yet decided to establish a center in Poland for the repair and maintenance of Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine.
Earlier, on July 12, the Handelsblatt newspaper wrote that Germany refused to participate in the creation of a center in Poland to repair Leopard tanks damaged in Ukraine.
On July 2, Der Spiegel magazine spoke about the conflict between Germany and Poland against the backdrop of the maintenance by the Polish side of the Leopard tanks transferred to Ukraine. It follows from the material that the Polish defense concern Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall have not yet concluded an agreement.
For the first time, the repair center for the transferred Leopard tanks was discussed in early spring, the dialogue was between the Polish and German sides. On March 7, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that Warsaw was ready to open a service center for the repair of tanks sent to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, on June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on the destruction of Western equipment by Russian forces, indicated that the Armed Forces (AF) of the Russian Federation destroyed 25-30% of military equipment. According to the head of state, Leopard tanks, like Bradley vehicles, burn beautifully.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass, which the Russian authorities announced on February 24, 2022 amid the aggravation of the situation in the region due to Ukrainian shelling.
