Commentary
Society
Wounds That Won’t Heal: Trauma, Power and Politics in Slovakia – COMMENTARY
16 May 2025
Some European countries continue to offer only extremely modest bilateral military aid to Ukraine. Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and France are among the most parsimonious members of the Ramstein coalition. They are thus taking advantage of the generosity of their allies, betraying their own past leadership and undermining the cohesion of Europe.
Bilateral military aid from Denmark (€3.5 billion), Norway (€3.6 billion) and the Netherlands (€2.5 billion) exceeds that from France, Italy and Spain. The United States contributes €44 billion, Germany €17 billion and the United Kingdom more than €6 billion.
The wartime economy called for by the French president in June 2022 has not materialised. While the production of Caesar self-propelled guns has been doubled, shell output is still no more than 3,000 rounds a month. This is despite the fact that shells are considered a priority, and that Ukraine requires hundreds of thousands of them monthly.
The volume of military aid from all the countries in the Ramstein coalition has reached its lowest level for many months, at €1 billion a month. Meanwhile, Russia has increased its defence budget by 68%, taking it to €106 billion. This compares with Ukraine’s budget of €43 billion.
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