Opinion | How bureaucracy is sabotaging UK’s efforts to aid Ukraine
Generous amounts of military aid have been pledged, but red tape is preventing it from getting to the frontline as quickly as Ukraine needs it
Without aid from countries in the transatlantic security alliance, Ukraine might have already been defeated. However, countries could be doing better – not in terms of the amounts they pledge, which are generous, but in the speed of disbursement. Ukrainians are paying not in cash but in blood. If weapons do not arrive in time, people die.
Bureaucracy is an unnecessary barrier to the Nato war effort. Take the UK as an example.
To date, the UK has pledged over £12 billion (US$15.2 billion) in aid. That aid can come in large, glamorous deals involving tanks or guided missiles, which can take months or years to provide. Recently, Britain has sped up, committing to deliver 16 AS90 artillery guns within a tighter time frame.
Other deals can be smaller: bullets, grenades, shells and the like, which should be bought, sold and used up rapidly at the front. One of the companies I work with has, with great difficulty, secured a supply of much-needed artillery shells for Ukraine. The company can either sell these directly to Ukraine, or to the UK government, which will then gift them to Ukraine.
