Here Come the Tanks: In an address on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO allies and partners have delivered almost all the promised combat vehicles to Ukraine.
“More than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine have already been delivered. That means over 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks, and other equipment, including vast amounts of ammunition,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels while speaking with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
“In total, we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armored brigades. This will put Ukraine in the strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,” the NATO chief added.
Highlights from the speech have been shared on social media.
More military aid could be coming, as Stoltenberg said that at the NATO summit scheduled for this coming July in Lithuania, the alliance will set out plans for a “multi-year program of support.”
In addition to the tanks and armored vehicles, a number of NATO members have provided anti-aircraft and air-defense systems, artillery platforms, and even some aircraft – Poland and the Czech Republic have provided Soviet-built MiG-29 jet fighters.
There is some optimism that the war could end at the negotiating table, but Stoltenberg has stressed that “any possibility for meaningful negotiations requires that Ukraine has the necessary military strength to send a very clear message to President (Vladimir) Putin that he will not win on the battlefield.”
Could Ukraine Join NATO?
Earlier this month, Stoltenberg also said in an address that Ukraine could eventually join the transatlantic military alliance when the war is over.
“All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member,” he said. “President Zelensky has a very clear expectation, we discussed this.
“Both the issue of membership but also security guarantees, and of course Ukraine needs security,” Stoltenberg added. “Because no one can tell when and how this war ends. But what we do know is that when the war ends, we need to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.”
Zelensky is scheduled to attend NATO’s next annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Though the United States continues to support NATO’s “open door” policy, the priority for Washington is ensuring that Ukraine can repel Russian attacks, said the strategic communication coordinator of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, in an interview with the Voice of America earlier this month.
“Nothing has changed in terms of our support for the open door policy for NATO. Nothing has changed in this regard. We continue to maintain an open door for NATO. But we also stated that any conversation about joining the Alliance should be a conversation between the respective country and the Alliance itself,” Kirby explained.
“Now we are focused on ensuring that Ukraine can repel Russian aggression,” Kirby added. “That they can be successful on the battlefield, so that President Zelensky, when and if he is ready for negotiations, so that he can succeed at the table. This is what we are focusing on now. Let the Secretary General of NATO speak on behalf of the alliance itself.”
Foreign Aid is an Investment
As of this February, the United States has sent more than $114.9 billion in military hardware and other aid to Ukraine. Over the last year, the United States has provided or pledged to send a number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), armored vehicle-launched bridges, Patriot air defense batteries, M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks, and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles – as well as a significant number of man-portable anti-tank weapons, and a variety of ordnance.
The United States is just one nation supporting Ukraine’s right to sovereignty. According to United States Department of Defense figures, more than 54 countries from around the world have pledged more than 1,000 tanks and other armored vehicles.
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Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
