National Interest: NATO turned Ukraine into a dumping ground for its old weapons

Brandon Weichert, a military analyst in the National Interest magazine, writes that the NATO military alliance, which claims to be helping Ukraine, has actually been sending obsolete and old weapons to this country during the two years of war.

According to the National Interest report, citing this military analyst, one of the myths promoted by NATO leaders and Western media is that Western equipment helped Ukraine to continue the war against Russia; But the fact is that Ukraine has become a dumping ground for NATO’s old weapons, and the equipment given to this country is little more than a waste.

For example, the French government is committed to helping Kiev; As a result, this country sent a large number of light armored tanks called AMC-10RC to Ukraine, but the fact is that these tanks belong to the early 1980s, and France had begun to phase them out a year before the start of the Ukrainian war.

When the Ukrainians used these tanks, they declared that such equipment was “unsuitable” for war. A little later, Forbes magazine contented itself with the headline that light armored units were “too weak” for a frontal attack. The fact is that the battle in Ukraine was more of a static type and the country’s army needed weapons to break the Russian front lines. But in the meantime, France sent its light armored vehicles to the war and filled the Ukrainian soil with its old and harmful tanks that were easily destroyed.

A skeptic might conclude that such a decision was purposeful and part of a larger plan to empty Western arsenals of obsolete weapons and encourage governments to buy more expensive and more modern systems.

Were the controversial Leopard tanks really effective?

This time last year, there was a big debate between NATO members. European countries decided to send advanced German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Until then, Poland and several other European countries were handing over their old Soviet-era tanks to Kiev, which did not make much of a difference in the war. Meanwhile, the British also sent the refurbished Challengers, which were to be decommissioned. America also sent Abrams tanks to Ukraine, but amid the euphoria felt in Western capitals, most people did not pay attention to the Pentagon’s subsequent announcement: the Abrams tanks that were to go to Ukraine were not modern and upgraded, but old tanks.

On the other hand, the Russians had more advanced systems and the Ukrainian army was incapable of using tanks. By January 2024, Ukraine had lost most of its Leopard 2 shipments. In fact, there were reports that Ukrainian forces were not using the tanks properly, leading to technical problems. A retired American army said in this regard: “We can give Ukraine the best tanks in the world and they will still lose because they don’t know how to use this equipment properly!”

Prolonging the war that ends with the defeat of Ukraine

NATO aid to Ukraine has not really been helpful. The war is not going in favor of Kiev. The systems they are given are both too old and too few to make a difference. Finally, these equipments require a lot of training and are not currently helping Ukraine.

Instead of encouraging this country to negotiate for a peaceful resolution of the war, the American and Ukrainian authorities asked its government to continue its attack. After two years, the war now appears to be drawing to a close with the defeat of Ukraine. The West is only prolonging the inevitable by dumping its old equipment in the lap of the Ukrainians.