CONSTANT MÉHEUT

New York Times

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is pursuing a multibillion-dollar arms buildup that would be funded by Europe, seeing it as the best chance of ensuring the country's long-term survival as U.S. assistance dries up and Western security guarantees remain uncertain.

Ukraine wants not only to sustain its army through the current war but also to make it the backbone of any postwar settlement, with the goal of deterring Russia from invading again. As Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, recently put it: "Ukraine must become a steel porcupine, undigestible for potential invaders."

At the center of these eff orts is a new NATO-backed procurement system that will channel European funds into buying U.S. weapons for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

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