Comments by "peabase" (@peabase) on "EU agrees on €2 billion ammunition plan for Ukraine | DW News" video.

  1. Ukraine had better think of something else than engaging in endless artillery duels with the Russians. Even Russia's numerically superior artillery has failed to win them much ground lately. In other words, artillery isn't the war-winning weapon that it's currently made out to be. It's a good tool to have in the toolbox, but it shouldn't be overused. And I say this as a trained artillery observer.
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  2.  @konstantinbush295  The arms industry would be delighted if the EU countries didn't pool their purchases and had bid against one another instead. Economics 101, buddy.
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  3.  @theepashmani3501  It's interesting that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov both admitted that Lend-Lease enabled the USSR to defeat Germany.
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  4. The ex-Soviet militaries are heavy users of artillery, NATO not so. If Ukraine had the tanks and fighters it needed, it wouldn't need the artillery shells. Ukraine needs to go on the offensive; endless artillery duels with Russia aren't going to cut it.
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  5. It wouldn't be such a giant step, you know. As it is, NATO is composed of different militaries. The EU members of NATO could form a new clique by forgetting to invite the US, the UK and Canada to the party. Sure, there would be some missing capabilities, but the reverse is also true. I'm sure that as a navy vet, you're aware of the shortcomings of the US Navy. During the Iran-Iraq War, my Dutch neighbour had to go sweep the Persian Gulf for Iranian mines, because the US Navy had lost such a crucial capability. Later, when he got his own ship, he had to protect US aircraft carriers against enemy subs. Once, during a naval exercise, he had to hunt for a Dutch sub that had previously 'sunk' a US supercarrier.
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  6. Pipe down. Artillery shells come with a very modest profit margin. They're not rocket science. Everyone and their dog can make them.
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  7. It's not that hard to ramp up production. There are pre-existing contingency plans for manufacturers to switch from civilian to military production. All it takes is political will to enact the relevant laws, i.e. make Ukraine's national emergency our own. It will take mere weeks for these manufacturers to switch from producing pipes to artillery shells.
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  8.  @TheCountess666  Good point about the CSTO. In trying to contain NATO, Putin threw out his CSTO baby with the bathwater.
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  9. They're not ecstatic, which they would've been if there had been an EU-wide bidding war. The EU is going to drive a hard bargain. The arms manufacturers had better do their calculations properly or they'll lose money on the deals.
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  10.  @Meeko2689  The EU is a direct economic competitor to the US. If your claim is correct, don't you think it would be in the US' interest 'not to be' with the EU?
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