The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 11th, 2023: Zelensky's Final Plea & Europe's Empty Arsenals

Episode Date: December 11, 2023

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is traveling to Washington this week in an increasingly desperate bid to convince American leaders to extended emergency aid to his war-torn country. There is growing alarm surrounding the diminished military stockpiles of our European allies, who have seen already sparse resources dry up in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a Bose moment. You've been there. Small talks going nowhere, but then the Bose speaker kicks in. Music you can feel fills the room, and no more chat with Danny from accounts. Your life deserves music. Your music deserves Bose. Find your perfect product at Bose.com. It's Monday, December 11th. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Ukrainian President Zelensky is returning to Washington, D.C. this week to make a final appeal to President Biden and members of Congress to approve an emergency aid package as Ukraine enters a critical phase of the war. We'll also look at the growing alarm surrounding the diminished military stockpiles of our European allies, who've already seen limited resources dry up in the face of

Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Ukrainian President Zelensky is traveling to Washington this week, an increasingly desperate bid to convince American leaders to extend emergency aid to his war-torn country. Now, as we discussed last week on the PDB, Zelensky is facing an increasingly difficult situation amid dwindling funds and a stalled counteroffensive. As the current U.S. aid package all but dries up, fears are running high. that Ukraine's war effort against the Putin regime may be doomed without another injection of capital

from the U.S., as well as from EU allies. Zeletsky will arrive in Washington today ahead of a scheduled meeting with President Biden on Tuesday. Now, a White House spokesperson said Biden, who has implored Congress to pass his emergency aid package for Ukraine, will use the meeting to, quote, underscore the United States' unshakable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia's brutal invasion, end quote. Zelensky will also address the Democrat and Republican leadership of Congress, who have been at a weeks-long stalemate over increasing funding to Ukraine. He'll join U.S. Senate leaders in a closed-door session Tuesday morning

before having a private sit-down with Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. A statement from Zelensky's office said the leader will, quote, focus on securing unity among the U.S., Europe, and the rest of the world in supporting Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression. Now, the face-to-face appeals come just a week after Zelenskyy abruptly canceled a planned video conference with U.S. senators that was meant to sway leaders to extend funding for the war effort ahead of a critical vote last Wednesday in Washington. And that day, Democrats attempted to pass a nearly $11 billion dollar $1,11,000.

package for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region, with roughly 61 billion flagged for Ukraine. But they were blocked by Republicans. Republicans in both chambers have demanded that any additional emergency funds for Ukraine be tied to significant reforms of U.S. border policy. Now, despite warnings from the Biden administration about the potentially catastrophic consequences of not approving more aid, a quick resolution of the matter. it does not appear to be in the cards. It's worth noting that it's not just the U.S. that is struggling to approve more funds for the war. Internal divisions within the European Union are delaying a $53 billion aid package for Ukraine, including billions in new loans and funds for interest

payments on existing loans. With international skepticism mounting regarding Ukraine's path to victory against Russia, Zelensky finds himself in an increasingly precarious position. And the bottom line here is that without U.S. and EU support, Ukraine will not be able to maintain parity with Russia, much less regain any meaningful territory. Look, Putin is counting on the West losing interest and goodwill towards Ukraine. His calculus is that he can outweigh the West and eventually not only consolidate the gains made over the past two years, but likely push for more. If what the West is hoping for at this stage is a negotiated peace settlement that at least has the veneer of something positive for Ukraine, then maintaining support, funding, and hardware

for the beleaguered nation is absolutely necessary. If Putin sees the West falter and pull back, he won't look for an exit ramp for a negotiated peace settlement, he'll look for the road Keeve. Coming up after the break, a new report has uncovered the stunning weaknesses in the military readiness of our European allies, which have been laid bare since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I'll be right back. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars.

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Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. As the United States and EU continue to engage in the debate over providing further funding in arms to Ukraine, there's growing alarms surrounding the diminishing military stockpiles of our European allies. Reports indicate these countries are not only using up their existing arsenals, but are also facing challenges in replenishing them. A piece published in the Wall Street Journal today

brings delight some startling figures. The British military, one of our key allies, of course, and Europe's largest defense bender, has a concerning shortage in its military capabilities. With only about 150 tanks ready for deployment and roughly a dozen long-range artillery pieces, the situation seems very concerning at best. In fact, the scarcity reached a point where the British military was considering upgrading and donating rocket launchers from museums to Ukraine, although this plan was eventually abandoned. The second largest defense spender in Europe is France, and frankly they're not doing much better. They reportedly have less than 90 heavy artillery units, a number equivalent to Russia's monthly losses in Ukraine.

Denmark lacks heavy artillery, submarines, or air defense systems, and Germany's army, reportedly has enough ammunition for just two days of combat. Now, the root of this issue partly lies in government funding. In 2014, NATO allies agreed to aim for a defense spending target of 2% of their GDP within a decade. Yet this year, only 11 out of 31 NATO members are on track to meet this goal. Now, for those of you keeping score at home, that's about one third of them. Germany's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 exemplifies this challenge. The country pledged a significant 100 billion euros, that's about $110 billion, for defense

in a sudden surge of spending. However, as the year ends, only about 60% of this amount is expected to be allocated. Another factor contributing to this problem, well, it's production capacity. Contrary to expectations that the Ukraine war would boost the military industrial complex. Western arms manufacturers are struggling to increase production. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the revenue of the world's top 100 arms producers and military service companies saw a 3.5% decrease in 2022 compared to 2021. This decline is especially pronounced among U.S. companies, which represent 51% of total arms sales. These companies experienced a 7.9% reduction in their revenue, falling to $302 billion in 2022. This downturn amidst the time of heightened military conflict raises significant

concerns about the readiness and capability of both the U.S. and NATO allies. Look, with no end in sight for the Ukraine-Russia conflict, with fears of an escalating Middle East crisis, and China, aggressive progressively building up its military. It's an inopportune time, to say the least, for the U.S. and NATO to be staring at empty warehouses and limited military production capacity. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 11 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay cool.