The US is ready to provide Ukraine with unprecedented amounts of weapons. The result is that local enterprises of the military-industrial complex receive huge orders. For example, Lockheed Martin alone has won more government contracts than the US State Department and the USAID combined. Australiaʼs public broadcaster ABC published a lengthy article analyzing what the current multibillion-dollar contracts to arms manufacturers could lead to. Currently, this industry is consolidated and most of the money goes to four companies ― the already mentioned Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. In addition to the fact that they supply weapons to Ukraine, the Pentagon places orders with them to replenish its warehouses. Other countries are also ordering weapons for hundreds of millions of dollars ― in particular, after seeing the effectiveness of Javelin, HIMARS or NASAMS. On the one hand, this is great news for approximately 800,000 Americans who are employed in this field (often not directly at these companies, but in small and medium-sized businesses that manufacture components for them). Also, Raytheon or Lockheed Martin have long sought multi-year contracts that would allow them to adjust business processes ― they finally succeeded. As a result, their stock is up over 40% year over year. On the other hand, you canʼt call arms manufacturers supporters of democracy. War is their direct interest. US President Dwight Eisenhower warned against excessive strengthening of the military-industrial complex back in 1961 in his farewell speech. At that time, society actively opposed the military lobby. Now this opposition is much цуфлук, and the negative consequences are already being felt. For example, arms manufacturers often claim that they donʼt have enough money and need more contracts ― while at the same time buying back their own shares on the stock exchanges to increase their value and, ultimately, the profits of their shareholders. However, if the abuses of gunsmiths are more visible in the USA or Australia, the fact that they were able to provide Ukraine with a large number of effective weapons in a timely manner is felt more strongly in Europe. American officials themselves admit that all these companies have performed "excellently" in Ukraine. Organizations that monitor the circulation of weapons are also favorable to them at the moment. Thus, Lucie Béraud-Sudreau of the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) points out that it is natural that private arms manufacturers make profits. But it would be wrong to say that the USA or any other country is making money from the war. The main goal now is to protect Ukraine and other European countries, and the money is being spent efficiently for this. "The war has returned to Europe, Russia is our neighbor, and it will not cease to be," she says. "Whether Moscow wins or loses, in ten years it will restore its capacity. Europe can only arm itself in response."
Journalists from The Wall Street Journal tried to understand the feelings of German society, whose leaders still refuse to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. Against the background of active aid to Kyiv from dozens of countries, Berlin now looks like an outcast ― however, the position of Chancellor Olaf Scholz or the newly appointed Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius fully corresponds to the mood in German society, the publication writes. Germany is emphatically cautious, and for several good reasons. Firstly, as German high-ranking officials from the countryʼs delegation to the Ramstein-style meeting of defense ministers of Ukraineʼs allied countries told the publication on condition of anonymity, unlike the USA or France, Germany does not have nuclear weapons. Without this means of deterrence, the probability of a direct conflict with Russia increases ― this, German officials assure, scares both them and German society. Therefore, it became an unspoken rule for Germany to do something to help Ukraine no earlier than the USA provides such weapons to Kyiv. Therefore, Berlin made the provision of the Leopard 2 a condition for the US to first provide its Abrams tanks, which, according to American officials, is unjustified from a military and logistical point of view. The Germans are also worried about the PR consequences of the transfer of tanks to Ukraine. For example, having fixed German tanks on the front line, Russian propaganda will be able to promote even more actively the thesis that the Kremlin is not at war with Ukraine, but with all of NATO. "And just imagine what will happen in terms of information if German tanks again, like 80 years ago, enter the territory of Russia!" ― the unnamed German official is horrified. However, gradually these theses cease to frighten German society. If, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted on January 8, 50% of Germans were against the provision of tanks to Ukraine, and 35% of respondents supported this idea, then this week 48% were in favor of providing tanks. The main credit for this belongs to the German media, most of which are in favor of providing Ukraine with Leopard 2. However, some of the young people they have not yet convinced East Germany: they are the most opposed to providing offensive weapons to Ukraine.