Europe Can Do More to Arm Ukraine
Without munitions, Ukraine can’t stand up to Russia. Increased production and more collaboration is needed to make up deficits.
Europe needs to be shell-stocked.
Photographer: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron caught many by surprise this week when he suggested sending ground troops to Ukraine. That’s unlikely to happen, but Macron’s bigger point — that Europe’s security and stability depend on Russia not winning the war — is correct. Europe can either contribute more now to Ukraine’s defense or face a much bigger task constraining Russia in the future.
There is plenty Europe can do to advance that goal, starting with solving Ukraine’s “shell hunger.” A lack of ammunition carries grave consequences on the battlefield, as Ukraine’s forced withdrawal from the strategic eastern town of Avdiivka demonstrates. It also threatens the credibility of Europe’s broader deterrence posture. The problem is surmountable, but it will require greater political will, and more resources, than European Union governments have dedicated thus far.