Europe “concerned” over weakened army and empty arms depots - WSJ

Concerns are growing in Europe about a weakened army and empty arsenals amid continued russian aggression against Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal writes about it on Monday, December 11.

The publication notes that the British armed forces, which are the leading military ally of the USA and the largest defense budget in Europe, have only about 150 tanks and a dozen of serviceable long-range artillery pieces. Stockpiles are so empty that last year the British military considered buying multiple rocket launchers from museums to modernize them and transfer them to Ukraine, but that idea was rejected, the WSJ reports.

"France, the next biggest spender, has less than 90 pieces of heavy artillery, which is equivalent to what russia is losing in about a month on the battlefield in Ukraine. Denmark has no heavy artillery, submarines and anti-aircraft defense systems. The German army has enough ammunition for two days of battle," the article says.

For decades, the countries of the West allowed themselves to weaken their own armies, because they counted on the United States as the basis of the North Atlantic Alliance. However, the potential threat to Europe from the aggressor state of russia and the isolationist stance of the US are causing increasing concern and tension, the WSJ notes.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in 2024, the price of ammunition is predicted to increase due to the shortage of gunpowder.

On November 28, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, called on Ukraine to provide all the necessary weapons to prevent russia from recovering during the winter.

At the same time, in 2024, a fifth of the budget of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine will be directed to the production of ammunition.