Poland has claimed there could soon be a new nuclear arms race if the West does not send Ukraine the weapons it needs to defeat Vladimir Putin’s army.
Radek Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, said the current furor within the United States over whether to send a $60 billion aid package to Ukraine, as well as the reluctance of some key allies in Europe to arm Ukraine , could spark a fight for new nuclear weapons.
‘If the United States cannot unite with Europe and allow Ukraine to push back against Putin, I fear our family of democratic nations will begin to disintegrate. “Allies will look for other ways to ensure their security,” Sikorsky said during an interview with the Atlantic Council think tank.
“Some of them will aspire to the ultimate weapon, starting a new nuclear race.”
Ukraine was once a nuclear nation, after inheriting a portion of the former Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenal after its collapse in the 1990s.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year
The flow of military aid to kyiv and the use of up to 3,000 155mm howitzers a day have steadily depleted American reserves.
Poland’s foreign minister said Ukraine could be forced to develop its own nuclear weapons.
But he gave them up in 1994 after signing the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for Russia’s recognition of his independence, his sovereignty and his own national borders.
Ukraine’s weapons stockpile is currently so low that the Pentagon will soon have to tap into its own diminished supply to ensure Ukraine can keep fighting, even as Congress is holding back additional funding.
The Pentagon has not made a final decision, but officials are considering the move as a way to continue supporting Ukraine despite potential political obstacles for the Biden administration.
Depleting U.S. reserves to support Ukraine would anger many Republicans who believe Biden should prioritize U.S. defense first.
The flow of military aid to kyiv and the use of up to 3,000 155mm howitzers a day have steadily depleted US reserves, which at their peak in 2005 were worth $1.5 billion.
The Army uses about 150,000 rounds a year for training and is working to increase production from 20,000 rounds a month to 75,000 a year.
The Pentagon asked for $1.5 billion last year to ramp up manufacturing and asked for $30 million in the budget to “secure” its arsenal.
Ukraine was once a nuclear nation, after inheriting a portion of the former Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenal after its collapse in the 1990s.
Ukraine’s weapons stockpile is currently so low that the Pentagon will soon have to tap into its own diminished supply to ensure Ukraine can keep fighting.
A guide and a dog examine the ruins and observe a section of a residential building destroyed by a Russian drone.
Sen. Jack Reed, R.I., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the New York Times that the idea was “on the table.”
The Defense Department has about $4 billion authorized to send to Ukraine from its own reserves, according to CNN, but the Pentagon remains reluctant to use it without assurance that it will be replaced.
By April 2022, US stocks of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles had been depleted by a third, leaving the Pentagon scrambling to replenish them.
The Pentagon already warned in September that the replenishment of US stockpiles was slowing due to the reluctance of House Republicans to approve more aid for Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl expressed concern about the armed service’s ability to replenish its reserves while assisting Ukraine.
The Senate approved a $95 billion foreign aid package earlier this month, including $60 billion for Ukraine.
The Senate approved a $95 billion foreign aid package earlier this month, including $60 billion for Ukraine. But Republican Chairman Mike Johnson remains reluctant to bring it to the floor.
But Republican President Mike Johnson remains reluctant to bring him to the floor, citing the need for President Biden to first confront the crisis at the southern border.
Biden continues to assure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States will finally provide him with the aid and ammunition he needs to defend his country from Russia.
“I’m going to fight until we get them the ammunition they need and the capability they need to defend themselves,” Biden said during a speech at the White House last week.
Poland, a member of NATO since 1999, is not a nuclear power nor has it expressed its intention to acquire nuclear weapons.
But it has expressed interest in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing program, which allows it to participate in planning the use of nuclear weapons.