Italy reaffirms Ukraine military support despite acute supply shortages

Fulfilling Ukraine’s military requests has grown increasingly challenging due to a shift toward highly complex, specialised defence technology, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto cautioned in an interview published by La Repubblica on July 25, 2026.

Crosetto outlined how Kyiv’s operational needs have evolved significantly since the onset of the conflict, creating a stark imbalance between available inventories and field requirements.

"In the beginning, the Ukrainian side asked: send us everything you have," Crosetto said. "Today the situation is different. The needs have become much more specific: we are talking about very complex assets, having to do with air defence, and other modern and rare systems. Demand exceeds supply a hundredfold. Helping them is not easy, even with the willingness to do so."

Despite inventory constraints and supply bottlenecks affecting high-demand military hardware, the Defence Minister affirmed that Rome remains committed to sustaining its support. Crosetto noted that officials are actively working to "gather everything necessary to provide assistance to Ukraine" and signalled that he expects to "complete this work" shortly.

The Italian government's ongoing assistance aligns with legislative approval granted by the Italian Senate in February, which formally extended military aid deliveries to Kyiv.

By Tamilla Hasanova