The Biden administration says it is offering $2 billion in loans to Poland to support the defense modernization of the ally which has been a hub for weapons going into Ukraine.
That’s kinda how it works. It’s not like I, as an American tax payer, would want them with a 2 billion US funded loan going out and buying Chinese or Russian weapons. Even Turkish weapons would be one of those thing where I’d want Turkey to give their own loans for weapons. It’s American Money, I want it to go into the American economy if we’re providing the loan. Plus based on the performance it’s not like they’re going to buy better weapons anywhere else.
Well they are a NATO country and need to buy NATO standard equipment. So their options for who to buy from if they aren’t producing it is limited to any country producing them that is in NATO, and potentially South Korea. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Poland’s reason to decide for Korean tanks is because of technology transfers promised. They want to build up their industry to compete with the existing ones. So it’s really just Korea and the US. Everything else is European, so what they consider their competition.
Who cares? It’s Poland. Their government hates Europe and dreams about reaching a level where they can compete with all those evil other countries’ industries (the sole reason to buy Korean tanks is that those promised some tech transfers). They will of course only buy from the US and happily so… also in completely rediculous numbers they can’t actually afford, because like any shitty right-wing government running purely on their own superiority and blaming other countries, it’s important to have a strong military.
And let me guess, there is a clause saying they have to buy from US weapons companies?
That’s kinda how it works. It’s not like I, as an American tax payer, would want them with a 2 billion US funded loan going out and buying Chinese or Russian weapons. Even Turkish weapons would be one of those thing where I’d want Turkey to give their own loans for weapons. It’s American Money, I want it to go into the American economy if we’re providing the loan. Plus based on the performance it’s not like they’re going to buy better weapons anywhere else.
Even before this they’ve been buying almost entirely from the US and I think some from the UK.
Poland isn’t exactly on good terms with Russia or, by extension, China.
Well they are a NATO country and need to buy NATO standard equipment. So their options for who to buy from if they aren’t producing it is limited to any country producing them that is in NATO, and potentially South Korea. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Poland’s reason to decide for Korean tanks is because of technology transfers promised. They want to build up their industry to compete with the existing ones. So it’s really just Korea and the US. Everything else is European, so what they consider their competition.
Pretty bog standard to buy weapons from the country giving you the money to buy weapons.
Who cares? It’s Poland. Their government hates Europe and dreams about reaching a level where they can compete with all those evil other countries’ industries (the sole reason to buy Korean tanks is that those promised some tech transfers). They will of course only buy from the US and happily so… also in completely rediculous numbers they can’t actually afford, because like any shitty right-wing government running purely on their own superiority and blaming other countries, it’s important to have a strong military.
Pretty sure they’d buy US arms in any case.
presumably at a high discount - $2 billion is nothing when it comes to weapon systems
Lemmy users learning about politics be like.