Europe Can Sustain Ukraine’s Defense Without U.S. Help, German General Says
Europe has the capacity to maintain Ukraine’s war effort against Russia even in the absence of U.S. military support, according to Major General Christian Freuding, the senior German military official responsible for coordinating Berlin’s arms deliveries to Kyiv, The Gaze reports, citing Reuters.
Freuding stated that NATO’s European members, along with Canada, had already surpassed the approximately $20 billion in military aid that the U.S. provided to Ukraine in 2023.
“The war against Ukraine is raging on our continent, it is also being waged against the European security order. If the political will is there, then the means will also be there to largely compensate for the American support,” Freuding said.
When asked how long existing American deliveries would last, Freuding noted the timeline depended on both logistics and Ukraine’s usage rate of arms and ammunition.
“How the American government handles further requests for military support for Ukraine is unclear at the moment. We can’t say anything about that,” he said.
“In general, the U.S. has a great interest in boosting its own defence industry. I make the cautious assumption that at least purchasing U.S. defence goods, and delivering them to Ukraine, will be possible.”
Freuding warned that Russia is not only sustaining its war against Ukraine but also actively preparing for a long-term military buildup that could eventually pose a direct threat to NATO.
“They are recruiting significantly more personnel than they need as replacements for the war in Ukraine. They are producing surplus stocks of ammunition, in particular, which they are ‘putting on store’,” he said.
He added that Russia aims to double its land forces to 1.5 million troops by 2026 and is expanding military infrastructure in its western district, which borders NATO’s newest member, Finland.
Germany has pledged €38 billion ($43 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, making it the second-largest donor after the United States, according to Germany’s defense ministry.
However, Freuding admitted that certain aspects of U.S. support would be difficult for Europe to replace. These include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data, air defense systems like the Patriot, and spare parts for U.S.-made weapons.
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