Germany looking to secretly buy US arms for Ukraine
Several US media outlets claimed earlier this week that Washington had paused deliveries of various critical munitions to Kiev, including Patriot and Hellfire missiles, GMLRS rockets, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells. The White House later confirmed that supplies of some weapons have been halted, saying the 'decision was made to put America's interests first.'
The freeze in deliveries is 'causing alarm' in Berlin, Bild reported on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz fears that the policy shift could also result in Washington rejecting a request to sell Germany two Patriot systems and interceptors.
According to Bild's sources, Berlin quietly approached US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the matter two weeks ago after being asked to do so by Ukraine, which previously failed to acquire the systems on its own. The German authorities are now waiting for a response from Hegseth, they added.
Bild described the lack of air defenses as an 'urgent problem' for Ukraine, and that it currently has only four Patriot systems left in service and insufficient missiles for them. If Kiev runs out of interceptors, Russian airstrikes are likely to become even more 'dangerous,' it added.
Politico reported on Wednesday that the Kiev authorities were 'blindsided' by the halt in American military aid supplies, and have asked Washington 'to let Europe purchase US weapons for Ukraine.' Several European countries are reviewing potential purchases on behalf of Ukraine, according to the outlet.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that the US paused deliveries of key munitions to Ukraine because they 'simply cannot produce missiles in the necessary quantities,' noting that many supplies were likely redirected to Israel amid its conflict with Iran last month.
'The fewer the missiles that arrive in Ukraine from abroad, the closer the end of the [Russian] special military operation [will be],' Peskov stated.
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Looks like Washington is about to steal the EU's lunch. Again. The Trump administration just lifted sanctions on a Russian-led nuclear project in Hungary, specifically one run by Moscow's atomic energy titan, Rosatom. 'The administration of President Trump has lifted this sanction. This made it possible to guarantee the safety of Hungary's energy supply in the long term. Finally, there is a kind of presidential administration in the United States which respects the reality of the map, takes it into account,' said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. 'We are not a country with a large number of oil and natural gas factories surrounded by dry land. Thus, our sustainable, cheap and safe electricity supply can only be provided by nuclear energy.' Translation: 'Listen up, you overcaffeinated Brussels bureaucrats running this group project from hell. We were just fine running on Russian oil and gas until you snatched it away like a juice box from a toddler. 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Because when you're already dealing with a self-imposed gas crisis, the next logical step is obviously to kneecap your nuclear options, too. 'If the European Commission and Brussels banned Central European countries, including Hungary, from purchasing fuel from Russia, this would have tragic consequences not only for Hungary, but for the entire European energy market,' Szijjarto warned back in May of the nuclear fuel side-eye. Meanwhile, in Brussels, EU leaders have been busy crafting their 18th round of Russia sanctions. That's right – 18. The sanctions now have more sequels than the Fast & Furious movie franchise. At this rate, someone should build a sanctions-themed roller coaster and amusement park. Then it could just stay closed under the pretext that it's too expensive to power. And while EU politicians perform their best moral-grandstanding monologues on the world stage, European companies are sneaking around backstage making nuclear deals with Russia anyway. Leading the pack is France's Framatome, which is co-partnering with Rosatom on the very same Paks 2 project. Framatome's role has actually expanded thanks to Germany kneecapping itself, as has become routine. The Greens in the previous coalition government blocked Siemens Energy's involvement. Just what German industry needed – another self-inflicted wound. And Framatome isn't just supplying the process control systems for Rosatom. The two have also signed a broader deal to produce nuclear fuel – in Germany. Don't mess this up, Berlin! Spoiler alert: Odds are pretty good that it probably will. If EU sanctions kill this Franco-Russian partnership, it's Germany that takes yet another hit. Also, you have to wonder why exactly Washington would do the EU a favor here. The US sees Europe as a competitor on the global economic stage. Maybe lifting sanctions on the Russian-led Paks 2 project is a strategic way of letting American nuclear giant Westinghouse steal Europe's lunch, just like it did when the EU was egged on to sanction its own Russian gas supply – and replace it with American LNG. Back in March, Szijjarto met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and 'discussed the possibilities for developing Hungarian-US energy cooperation, with nuclear energy as the primary area of interest,' Szijjarto wrote on Facebook. 'We are interested in developing this technology in a partnership with Westinghouse,' he added. So maybe Washington dropping sanctions on Paks 2 is less about Hungary and more about making it OK to date Russia again – so Washington can swoop in and steal Europe's date to the prom. But you wouldn't know any of this listening to the Eurodolts running the show. America is eyeing a European industrial asset, and Brussels' reaction is apparently to consider retreating to a monastery of moral anti-Russian purity so Washington can have its way. 'The European Union is also expected to adopt an 18th sanctions package in the next few days. Unprecedented in its ambition and the measures it contains in the financial and energy sectors,' said French President Emmanuel Macron in late June. Hey buddy, you do realize that if those sanctions extend to nuclear fuel – which is a serious consideration based on the Financial Times headline from June 15, 'EU seeks to sever nuclear energy ties with Russia' – then your own country's nuclear industry is about to take a hit through Framatome, right? 'Politically, we must keep up the pressure on Russia to engage in serious talks, starting with a real ceasefire. And therefore our 18th sanctions package aims to do that. We should be in a position to have an agreed package soon,' said Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president and de facto Queen of the EU. Sounds like the EU has the gun aimed squarely at its own foot. Their finger is just wobbling a little on the trigger. Apparently they're struggling to decide if nuclear should ultimately be included in the latest sanctions. Clearly, Queen Ursula has lost the plot. Maybe it's because she lives in a room next to her office – sorry, her royal chambers– and doesn't have to pay a power bill. Unlike everyone else in the EU trying to choose between groceries and heating. Hungary and Slovakia have been trying to block this latest genius EU move to jack up living costs, yet again. Because someone has to, given that the rest are too busy bowing to the establishment. So now the real question: will the EU finally get out of its own way and follow Washington's lead in thawing relations with Russia? Or will it just keep tripping over its own shoelaces while pretending that it's performing a brilliantly choreographed ballet and mistaking Swan Dive for Swan Lake?
