Zelensky wins more European aid in Brussels as Western sights shift to Israel

(Originally published Oct. 12 in “What in the World“) Israel launched an air strike against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the two sides continued to trade artillery fire even as Israel formed a wartime cabinet vowing to crush the Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

The war in Israel threatens to tax western arsenals already depleted by the war in Ukraine, where Russia has mounted a fresh offensive in the eastern province of Donetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Brussels this week to receive new pledges of military aid from eight members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Aid from Europe is helping fill looming gaps as the U.S. Congress dithers over whether to stay in business or fill the Pentagon’s shopping list. While the U.S Defense Dept. on Wednesday announced it would ship another $200 million of hand-me-downs from the Pentagon’s dwindling arsenal to Ukraine, the U.K. recently pledged $100 million in military aid and Germany promised $1.1 billion. More came from France and from Sweden, NATO’s newest member. Belgium will pay for additional military aid to Ukraine using a new, $1.8 billion fund it’s creating from tax revenues on assets seized from Russia’s central bank.

NATO’s European members, meanwhile, are also beginning to replace materiel they donated to Ukraine. Sweden just signed the first contract to start replacing armored personnel vehicles it sent to Kyiv.