West is running out of stocks of weapons that can be given to Ukraine: it is time to increase production

Several Western officials have spoken publicly about the fact that NATO countries are running out of stocks of weapons and ammunition that they can give to Ukraine without risk to themselves and that production should be increased as soon as possible. 

Source: European Pravda; CNN 

Details: Admiral Rob Bauer, the head of the NATO Military Committee, noted during a discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum that "the bottom of the barrel" of the stockpile of weapons "is now visible".

"We give away weapons systems to Ukraine, which is great, and ammunition, but not from full warehouses. We started to give away from half-full or lower warehouses in Europe" and those stores are now running low, Bauer said. 

James Heappey, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, emphasised at the same panel that although there is a problem with stocks, aid to Ukraine must continue "tonight and tomorrow and the day after and the day after", and for this, Western countries must increase the production of ammunition. 

Atlantic Council expert Thomas Warrick noted last week that Ukraine's longer wait for the necessary weapons was delaying the launch of the counteroffensive, giving Russian forces time to gain a foothold and making the counteroffensive more difficult once it began. "Ukraine’s forces have proven themselves flexible and adaptive, but they need to have sufficient ammunition and weapons," Warrick said. 

"An inability to ensure timely procurement and deliveries could undermine essential Ukrainian operations to retake additional territory or defend against potential future Russian offensives... Without additional funding now, we would have to delay or curtail assistance to meet Ukraine’s urgent requirements, including for air defense and ammunition that are critical and urgent now…," the US Under Secretary of Defense Michael McCord said in a letter to congressional leaders last Friday. 

CNN learned from unofficial communication with Pentagon representatives in July that the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire 2,000-3,000 artillery rounds per day. At that time, the US had already handed over 2 million rounds. According to rumours, it was precisely because of the rapid depletion of stocks of shells for 155-mm howitzers that the US finally agreed to provide cluster munitions. 

This week, The Telegraph, citing an unnamed high-ranking military official, reported that Britain has actually run out of weapons that it can donate to Ukraine without risking its own security. 

These statements come as an additional alarm signal after recent events in the US, where the interim budget did not include an aid package for Ukraine due to disputes with far-right Republicans, and now the adoption of further laws is postponed indefinitely due to the unprecedented ouster of the speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Background: 

• Last Friday, a large defence industry forum was held in Kyiv, to which more than 250 companies from 30 countries came at the invitation of Ukraine. At it, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced, among other things, the creation of the Defence Industries Alliance.
• After the meeting, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, announced a "new era" for the Ukrainian defence industry.

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