The West says that the stockpile of weapons that could be transferred to Ukraine is almost exhausted, but is this really true? Find out what percentage of their arsenal partners have transferred to Ukraine and who has made the biggest contribution to support the country

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Ukrainians have repeatedly heard that NATO stockpiles are running low, which means that the military assistance that could be provided to Ukraine is almost exhausted. This list includes not only heavy weapons, such as tanks and artillery systems, but also air defense systems, defense and electronic warfare systems, shells, missiles, and other important equipment.

However, not everyone in the European Union seems to agree with this opinion. For example, on January 16, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ordered an audit of the weapons provided to Ukraine in the bloc and called the volume of supplies planned by most countries for 2024 too small. In addition, Brussels also noted that some countries could provide Ukrainians with more weapons.

The article below is based on an analysis by Ekonomichna Pravda of data from the Ukraine Support Tracker project of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

How many heavy weapons have been transferred to Ukraine since 2022?

The Kiel Institute has collected data on the stockpiles of tanks, howitzers, and multiple launch rocket systems, some of which NATO and the EU can transfer to Ukraine. This sample does not include air defense systems and missiles, as well as aircraft. According to available information, Ukraine has received about 80 Soviet Sukhoi and Mig aircraft, and is soon to receive dozens of American F-16 fighters.

Thus, as of the beginning of 2022, the partner countries had in stock:

▶︎ 15,000 tanks (the United States - 6,140, Turkey - 4,378, Greece - 1,228, Poland - 797, Germany - 400, the United Kingdom - 227, other EU countries - 2,270, other NATO countries - 186 units) - of which 813 units were transferred to Ukraine, i.e. 5.2% of the available tanks.

▶︎ 7,000 howitzers (USA - 2,538, Turkey - 1,385, Greece - 672, Italy - 357, Romania - 351, UK - 117, other EU countries - 1,276, other NATO countries - 90) - 610 of them were transferred to Ukraine, i.e. 8.9% of the available howitzers.

▶︎ 1.6 thousand MLRS (the United States - 635, Romania - 188, Poland - 179, Turkey - 146, Greece - 145, the United Kingdom - 35, other EU countries - 312, other NATO countries - 12 units) - of which 97 units were transferred to Ukraine, i.e. 5.2% of the available multiple launch rocket systems.

However, this list does not take into account that some of the weapons received by Ukraine were not transferred from stocks. That is, some of the military aid was specially manufactured during the full-scale invasion.

In addition, it should be borne in mind that partner countries exhaust their stockpiles in different ways. For example, the Czech Republic has transferred almost 60% of its existing arsenal to Ukraine, Norway - about 30% (as noted by the EP, with the promised weapons, its share will reach 53%), and the United States - 5% of its arsenal.

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Who has provided Ukraine with the most weapons relative to the country's GDP?

Despite the fact that the United States has provided Ukraine with the largest amount of weapons, amounting to $44 billion in aid, the United States has spent 0.2% of the country's GDP on aid to Ukraine.

At the same time, the Baltic States, although one of the smallest members of the EU and NATO in terms of economic size, provided the largest amount of aid to Ukraine as a percentage of GDP: Latvia ~0.9% of the country's GDP, Lithuania ~1.0%, Estonia ~1.13%.

In addition, the Scandinavian countries are leading in terms of the volume and share of aid provided - the percentage among them ranges from 0.5 to 1% of aid provided relative to the country's GDP.

How many weapons does Ukraine produce on its own?

There is currently no official information on the number of companies engaged in the mass production of weapons and ammunition in Ukraine. However, based on the statements of the Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshyn, the number of such production facilities increased from 50 to more than 200 in 2023. In addition, according to Interfax-Ukraine, at a panel discussion at Ukraine House in Davos, Kamyshyn said that Ukraine had begun producing artillery systems in accordance with NATO standards and doubled its ammunition production. FPV drones, thermal imagers, robotic systems, and hybrid air defense systems are also in mass production.

We remind you! Ukraine is among the twenty most powerful armies in the world according to the annual ranking of the international company Global Firepower. This is an impressive recognition of the significant efforts Ukraine is making to bring the long-awaited victory closer. Read more about the ranking of the Ukrainian army this year and who else made it to the top in our previous article.

Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

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