The New York TimesThe New York Times

How a tiny NATO nation tackled a big problem: Arming Ukraine

By Lara Jakes

17 Feb 2023 · 5 min read

Editor's Note

The NYT describes how Luxembourg decided to use its considerable wealth to try to acquire weapons for Ukraine. Buying arms on the open market proved to be a murky business, fraught with frustration.

LUXEMBOURG — Luxembourg’s military consists of fewer than 1,000 troops, one cargo plane, two helicopters shared with police forces and fewer than 200 trucks, ranging from Humvees to about 10 state-of-the-art Dingo combat reconnaissance vehicles.

There are no tanks, warplanes or Patriot air defense missiles to contribute to the Western push to arm Ukraine. The 102 anti-tank missiles and 20,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition Luxembourg has sent from its arsenal were as many weapons as it could afford to give without putting its own military readiness at risk.

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