Concerns about the weakening of armed forces and empty arsenals in Europe are growing. This was reported by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal.

"Budget cuts and the destruction of the arms industry have devastated the armed forces. Russia's invasion of Ukraine reveals the risks," the article says.

In particular, the army of Britain, the United States' leading military ally in Europe, has only about 150 tanks and perhaps a dozen serviceable long-range artillery pieces.

France has fewer than 90 pieces of heavy artillery, which is about the same amount Russia is losing every month in Ukraine. The German army has enough ammunition for two days of fighting. Denmark has no heavy artillery, submarines, or air defense systems. 

The publication writes that for decades, Western countries have put up with the weakening of their armies because they counted on the United States, which financed NATO by 70%.

However, anxiety is growing as America takes an increasingly isolationist stance, and the perception of a potential threat to Europe from Russia is re-emerging after nearly two years of fighting in Ukraine, the WSJ writes.