Much of the recent discussion in NATO capitals focuses on whether Ukraine should be supplied with “lethal aid” at all, and if so, what kind of weapons should be included or excluded (for example, defensive or offensive systems). The paper “Arming Ukraine: Capability Requirments – a view from Kyiv” aims to highlight Ukraine’s needs for international military-technical aid.
It does so from three angles:
- It outlines officially stated needs (the “top down” statement of requirements).
- It compares this with the needs identified on the ground in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) area (the requirement as seen “bottom-up”);
- It gives an expert assessment (an “outside-in” perspective) of the spectrum of needs and the priorities. It also considers whether Ukraine is ready to actually absorb and use such aid effectively.
The paper argues that issue of supplying weapons and military equipment to Ukraine should be viewed not within the lethal/non-lethal discourse, but rather in terms of the level of technology—be it of weapons, equipment platforms or various “force enablers” and “force multipliers”. Supplying Ukraine with high-tech weapons, military technology and equipment, which are currently direly needed by Ukraine’s security and defence structures, can change the balance of power not only in the АТО zone but in the entire region.
Read the full analysis here: Arming Ukraine: Capability Requirements—a View from Kyiv (PDF)
