France is sending weapons and air-defence systems to Ukraine
New transparency over arms deliveries also exposes their limits
“ROMANTIC gestures take many forms,” began a witty clip posted by the Ukrainian defence ministry on October 12th, with images of red roses, chocolates and sunset over the city of Paris. “But if you really want to win our hearts,” it went on, “nothing beats 155mm highly mobile self-propelled artillery.” Designed as both a cute and serious message to the French government, the video concluded “Merci beaucoup, France. Please send us more.”
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Red roses…and artillery”
Europe October 22nd 2022
- Iranian drones pose a fiendish military problem for Ukraine
- Russia was more deeply embedded in German politics than suspected
- Ukrainian Railways reconnects a city scarred by a bombing
- France is sending weapons and air-defence systems to Ukraine
- Italy’s coalition-building runs into trouble
- Europe’s ambivalence over globalisation veers towards scepticism
From the October 22nd 2022 edition
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The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge