How did NATO military aid to Ukraine evolve since 2022?
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From supplying helmets and light weapons to Ukraine at the start of 2022, NATO members are now delivering 61 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Kiev, alongside other technologies.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (R) react as they sit in an F-16 fighter jet in the hangar of the Skrydstrup Airbase in Vojens, northern Denmark, on August 20, 2023. (AFP)
The Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and Denmark announced on Sunday that they will provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, promising that the first batches of these aircraft will arrive in the country by the end of the year.
The United States has been by far the most significant supplier of weapons to Ukraine, with an estimated €42.8 billion sent to Kiev strictly in military aid. Germany ranked second after contributing around €7.5 billion while the United Kingdom came in third after sending €6.6 billion worth of weapons and military hardware to Zelenky's government since February 2022, according to data released by the Kiel Institute in late May this year.
As Russia launched its Special Military Operation in Ukraine, an influx of Western weapons began to arrive in Kiev which received 40,000 pieces of light weaponry, 17,000 Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), as well as helmets and bulletproof vests.
By the end of 2022, as the Russian army shifted its focus to the Donbass, Western countries supplied Ukraine with howitzers, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, attack helicopters, and drones capable of striking behind Russian army lines.
Washington funneled in medium-range Patriot batteries while European countries began to deliver their flagship air defense systems to counter Russian weapons, as Kiev suffered from critically low ammunition due to its dependence on S-300 Soviet-made systems which contributed to 89% of its defense capabilities.
At the end of 2022, Western-made main battlefield tanks and armored vehicles started to make their way to Ukraine after its NATO allies met Kiev's long-standing requests.
In preparation for the promised Ukrainian "counteroffensive" Western powers began to deliver a flurry of top-of-the-line tanks including the German Leopard 2s, the American Abrams tank, and the British Challenger 2 which the UK armed with depleted uranium shells.
Read more: US wants Ukraine to go all in on counteroffensive, take all risks: FT
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine had received 230 Western tanks as well as 1,550 armored vehicles by the end of April 2023. Previously Kiev depended on older Soviet models which it worked to upgrade to fit current warfare standards.
In May, the UK had confirmed following a fundraiser campaign that it will deliver Storm Shadow, long-range air-launched cruise missiles to Kiev which can strike Russian-populated cities, 250kms beyond the frontline, which further expanded the scope of confrontation with Russia.
Last month, Washington announced the delivery of cluster ammunition, as Ukraine's supplies of traditional Western-made 155mm artillery shells ran low since Western production sites could not keep up with the high rate of firing. Ukraine whose counteroffensive failed to make any advancements on the frontline switched to a strategy of heavy artillery fire and condensed drone strikes on the Russian position just two weeks after launching its long-awaited campaign.
Finally, in August Washington greenlit the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, even after statements by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov indicated that Russia would consider this move a nuclear threat, seeing that the American-produced jets would be able to carry nuclear warheads.
Yesterday, the Netherlands and Denmark committed to delivering a total of 61 fighter jets to be sent to Kiev over a three period, coinciding with training programs to prepare Ukrainian pilots on their use.
Read more: Zelensky reaches agreement with Netherlands's PM over F-16 jets
