Final Word from Tuesday, June 28, 2022
The G7 nations said yesterday that they "will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes." Compare this to what Petr Fiala said last week after meeting with Jens Stoltenberg of Nato: "Our support will continue. However, our stocks of Soviet-era weapons are limited. Moreover, they need backfilling so that our army retains its full strength. As a good example I have mentioned our recent agreement with Germany on backfilling battle tanks." What Fiala was essentially saying is that unless the CR gets replacements from Germany, the U.S. or other countries, it won't be able to send much more to Ukraine. He was indirectly questioning the "unwavering commitment" of the West and was undermining his own argument that if Ukraine falls, the Russians will come here next. If he truly thought this, he wouldn't wait for backfilling and would muster up far more than Kč 3.7bn in weapons and aid for Ukraine. [ Czech Republic Secretary-General Union ]
Glossary of difficult words
to waver - to become weaker; to falter;
to backfill - (military) to replace at a later time, usually with more-advanced equipment;
unwavering - steady or resolute;
to muster - to collect or assemble (a number or amount); to assemble (troops), esp. for inspection or in preparation for battle.