Ukraine Continue The Fight: Will And Weapons, That Is What We Need – OpEd

The war in Ukraine has not yet become a positional one. There are challenges and threats that it could become so if there is not enough will from our partners to continue the fight and provide the necessary weapons, forces, and means for Ukrainian needs. And it seems to me that our situation now can be compared not to the First, but to the Second World War. Today there are many analogies and parallels, for example, with the Battle for Italy.

I’ll remind you that during the Battle for Italy, the plan was for the Allies’ advance with a landing in Sicily to be stretched over several weeks or months when British and later American forces joined. The Americans had already abandoned the idea due to losses and an inability to achieve set goals. However, the British continued the fight and insisted that this operation could end successfully… Eventually, the resistance of the Nazis in Italy was broken.

So, we are now approaching the point where there is such a midgame in this war. And now, in addition to the direct actions of the army “on the ground,” the factors of will and confidence in the struggle and achieving goals matter. This is very important.

The situation is such that, in any case, regardless of the weapon used, the people’s will to fight, determination, and mindset prevail. This is crucial, and weaponry follows as a derivative factor. And we ask Ukraine’s partners to remember these examples, to not give up, and to continue our common struggle. On our part, we continue the fight.

Certainly, sheer will is not enough. That’s why we need weapons and support. We are constantly searching for innovative and technological solutions that would give us an advantage over Russian forces.

“Ukraine is currently receiving a lot of weaponry; it is crucial to scale up and increase the quantity of this weaponry. For example, it’s one thing to have advanced ATACMS systems with 20 missiles, and another when it’s 200 missiles. Agree, the impact will be quite different. The same goes for aircraft – it’s one thing to have 5 planes, and another when it’s 15 or 50 planes. The effect will be completely different.

So, weapons have weight, and the quantity of weapons matters as well. Looking into the near future, Ukraine is counting on aircraft, namely the F-16 and possibly Gripen if Sweden makes the decision. Secondly, we are counting on the supply of ATACMS missiles in two types – with cluster munitions and with a range of 300 kilometers. Ideally, we would like to obtain Taurus missiles from Germany. We still have a need for artillery, both in artillery systems and in increasing the supply of shells, mines. And, of course, tanks and armored vehicles.

All these solutions are in place until we see extremely innovative changes, which we are eagerly awaiting. By that, I mean some kind of weaponry that can help us make a serious breakthrough. However, I am not aware of what this weaponry might be or what it could become. Yet, I don’t rule out that such developments are currently underway.

The war significantly accelerates the development processes related to weaponry. Ukraine understands this and allocates attention to it. Defense spending, particularly on defense procurement, is increasing. Within this context, the task ahead of us is to organize, if not already in place, our version of DARPA (the Pentagon agency responsible for developing new technologies for use by the U.S. military – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA), which will focus on accelerating the implementation and delivery of new technological and innovative solutions concerning weaponry to the military.

Ukraine is not only asking its partners for help but is also doing a lot to strengthen and enhance its own security. However, this is not enough. Because this war in Europe is the largest since the end of World War II. Russia has been preparing for a war against Ukraine and EU countries for years, all the while trying to create an illusion of change.

Ukraine has a clear plan and a winning strategy for ensuring a stable and just peace in Europe. We continue the battle for our freedom and values. Support us with will and weaponry!