With U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday authorizing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles supplied by his country into Russia, renewed focus has been on foreign-donated weapons and their use in the war that has been dragging on for 1,000 days as of today. Specifically, Biden gave the green light for the use of ATACMS missiles beyond the front lines, which are compatible with the U.S.-made multiple rocket launch system HIMARS, of which the country had allocated 39 units to Ukraine as of the end of August. Multiple rocket launch systems of different types have also been donated to Ukraine by the Czech Republic, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, data aggregated by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows.
Donor nations France and the United Kingdom had previously said that they wouldn't consider allowing similar use of their long-range missiles before the U.S. allowed the use of theirs. While French officials now said they remained open to the idea of giving authorization, The Guardian reports that the United Kingdom is expected to follow suit with the permission. Also on Sunday, heavy Russian bombing in different regions of Ukraine cause deaths and infrastructure destruction, prompting the U.S. response and drawing condemnation from British prime minister Keir Starmer. Six British rocket system had been allocated to Ukraine as of August 31, as were four French ones.
More rocket launcher systems have been freed up for Ukraine's use from the Czech Republic (12), Norway (11) and Germany (8). Especially the latter country has been known for rejecting the use of its long-range missiles for attacks into Russia. This position hasn't changed with the latest news, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
The United States is by far the biggest donor of military equipment to Ukraine, having allocated almost 700 units in the five categories described by the IfW, including many infantry vehicles and artillery guns (Howitzers). The Netherlands, Poland and Germany have all allocated between 300 and 400 units, with Poland focusing most heavily on tanks, the Netherlands on vehicles and Germany with the most mixed bag of donations. Countries focusing on artillery but all also donating air systems are the United Kingdom, Italy and France.
Out of Ukraine's biggest donors, Japan decided to focus solely on financial and not military aid, while Canada has focused predominantly on it.
