“Dictator without elections”. Head of a state that “started war”. In recent weeks, Donald Trump has multiplied criticism against Volodymyr Zelensky on social networks. To the point of wondering if the President of the United States could not soon cut all American help in Ukraine.
A disaster scenario for the European nation. Since if the real estate tycoon cuts him off, Ukraine and his allies will then find it difficult to fill this lack of military equipment. Without this help from the United States, the country of Volodymyr Zelensky would lose, among other things, some of its most sophisticated weapons. This Friday, the meeting in Washington between the two leaders could be decisive.
$ 70 billion in American military aid
In three years of war, the aid provided by the Americans has enabled Ukraine to resist the Russian forces. According to the Ukrainian president, the United States has sent nearly $ 70 billion in military aid since the start of the conflict, more than all other Western allies together. By combining military, humanitarian and financial aid, Europe is however in the lead in front of the United States, with 132 billion euros, against 114 across the Atlantic, According to the Kiel Institute for the global economy.
If Ukraine is currently building or finances 55 % of its military equipment, the United States occupies a significant place, providing 20 % of it. Especially since certain American weapons such as advanced air defense systems or soil-to-ground ballistic missiles will be difficult to replace in the short term, for the simple reason that Europe does not produce enough. Or for some countries, not at all.
For example, the United States produces Air Defense Systems Patriot, which can shoot down Russian ballistic missiles and the long-range semi-so-atacms missile. Once this material has been exhausted, Ukraine’s ability to carry out longer range strikes and protect its own rear positions would be strongly reduced, forcing kyiv to decide the areas to be protected.
Some analysts also wonder if Ukraine would continue to have access to the Starlink Internet service in SpaceX, a strategic pillar on the battlefield. But Elon Musk, director of the company, being a close ally of Donald Trump, nothing is less certain. The US government has threatened to interrupt access to satellites that form the Starlink network, the Reuters news agency reported on February 22. Additional pressure to force the Ukrainian president to sign an agreement on access to Ukrainian strategic ores.
A sufficient amount of weapons to hold until summer
According to former and current Western officials questioned speak Wall Street JournalUkraine has enough weapons to continue fighting until summer at the same rate as today. But after this date, kyiv could run out of ammunition and be unable to use some of these weapons. Reason why the country redoubles with efforts. In 2024, Ukraine produced approximately 1.5 million drones and plans to produce 3,000 missiles and 30,000 long -range drones this year. Today, Ukrainian industry produces nearly 28 billion euros in weapons per year, according to the Minister of Pays Strategies Industries, six times more than before.
“We can last for another half of a year or a year, in order to give Europe an additional year to start producing all possible ammunition,” said the American daily Mykola Bielieskov, an analyst in Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian charitable organization that provided army drones.
Volodymyr Zelensky knows what he expects from Europe. “200,000 [NDLR : soldats]it is a minimum. Otherwise, it is nothing, “he said on the sidelines of the Davos Forum last January. But for Thibault Fouillet, scientific director of the Institute of Strategy Studies and Defense, interviewed by L’Express a few days ago,” without the Americans, a permanent presence of 200,000 men is impossible “.” To approach it, the European States would take almost all of their military means in Ukraine. ” explain.
Europe is therefore preparing to try to fill the deficit. The old continent has considerably increased its production of artillery shells and has initiated discussions for the European Union to help around 28 billion euros this year. This Thursday, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, announced on Franceinfo that France was going to offer European States to constitute “weapons stocks” which can be sold to Ukraine if necessary. It remains to be seen which countries will accept.