Top gear is engaged. After having, for several weeks, assisted Ukraine without delivering heavy weapons, the West resolved to come to its aid in a more substantial way. Certainly in reaction to Moscow’s announcement of the capture of Mariupol and the reinforcement of the Russian army’s positions in the Donbass. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron, his American counterpart Joe Biden and several other Western leaders discussed how to deal with the latest developments in the conflict. The United States immediately announced a new set of sanctions, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaffirmed his support in terms of artillery before parliament.
The declarations were followed by effects since Joe Biden authorized, on Thursday, additional military aid of 800 million dollars for the Ukrainians. This military envelope must include dozens of heavy artillery pieces, 144,000 shells and ammunition as well as tactical and killer drones. An important development since, among the offensive weapons so far delivered, were anti-tank missile launchers and Turkish drones. American military aid is not new: on April 13, already, they had committed to sending armored vehicles and helicopters, in particular.
UK follows US
After announcing that he wanted to strengthen his support for the invaded country, Boris Johnson said on Friday that he was considering sending armored vehicles to Poland, so that it could then send its own tanks to Ukraine. This delivery will be preceded by military training for resistance soldiers from the country led by Volodymyr Zelensky. “I can say that we are currently training Ukrainians in Poland to use anti-aircraft defenses, (…) to use armored vehicles,” said the British leader, who also pledged 350 million pounds sterling in support. financier to the Ukrainian army.
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“We are acting in concert with our allies to provide new types of equipment that the Ukrainians may not have experience with, so it is reasonable that they receive the training required to be able to make the best use of it” , he continued. On April 9, London agreed, like the Americans, to provide 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems. It is, in all, nearly 10,000 missiles that the United Kingdom intends to send to Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron follows suit
Asked by the daily West France on the subject, the French president did not hide his intentions. In the regional newspaper, he revealed that Caesar guns were going to be supplied to the Ukrainian forces, and that 40 gunners must be trained in France from this Saturday. A plan substantially identical to that of the British allies. “We still deliver substantial equipment, from Milan to Caesar through several types of armaments”, defended Emmanuel Macron in the face of repeated attacks by the Ukrainian authorities against France and Germany, judged too timorous in their military assistance.
The delivery promised by Paris is partly a response to these criticisms. The Caesar guns, with a caliber of 155 mm, are all-terrain capable of hitting a target at 40 km with excellent precision. It is manufactured by Nexter and has already been exported to seven countries around the world. The delivery of support weapons aims to reverse the balance of power in the Donbass. On Friday morning, General Rustam Minnekayev, deputy commander of the forces of the Central Russian military district, announced that “one of the Russian objectives” was to take full control of Donbass. If the exact number of guns delivered has not been revealed, the French authorities have specified that the delivery was in progress and the weapons could be operational as early as May. Welcome news from the office of Volodymyr Zelensky and his generals.