«Данное сообщение (материал) создано и (или) распространено иностранным средством массовой информации, выполняющим функции иностранного агента, и (или) российским юридическим лицом, выполняющим функции иностранного агента»
Topic: Land Warfare Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Americas, and Europe Tags: Chile, Germany, Global South, Marder, and Ukraine War Chile Just Said ‘No’ to the West on Ukraine Aid December 7, 2025 By: Brandon J. Weichert
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The Chilean foreign minister has denied that the country’s armored vehicles will be used in Ukraine—a further sign that much of the Global South is tiring of the Ukraine War.
Chile has become the latest country to publicly reject Western pressure to feed the war in Ukraine. On November 24, Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren confirmed what the country’s political class has been discussing for months: Chilean law prohibits the transfer of arms to any country engaged in active armed conflict, even Ukraine. Klaveren’s statement seemingly left open the possibility of a “ring-exchange” scheme, in which a Ukraine-friendly nation would buy the equipment and then transfer similar equipment of its own to Kyiv. But the crucial point would be that it would be that country’s equipment—not Chile’s—going to war.
Klaveren didn’t use diplomatic gymnastics or hedged language. He flatly denied that Santiago had ever agreed to supply Marder 1A3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) to Germany for eventual use in Ukraine. Under Chilean law (and its longstanding neutrality policy), such a transfer would be, in his own words, “impossible to imagine.”
Klaveren made no comment on whether or not Santiago was open to selling the Marders to Germany for its own use, but stressed that there was no conceivable way these vehicles would end up in the battlefields of eastern Ukraine.
This comes as a setback for the West. For weeks, pro-Ukraine media outlets pushed breathless stories claiming that Chile had secretly approved sending 30 of its Marder 1A3s to Germany—where they would be refurbished, repainted, and quietly shipped to Ukraine. It was presented as a done deal—another “ring-exchange” workaround to Chile’s laws. But Chile isn’t playing along.
Neutrality Means Something in Chile—Even If It Doesn’t in Europe
Chile’s position isn’t an obscure legal technicality. It reflects a deeper reality: much of the Global South has grown weary of being dragged into European wars that do nothing to advance their interests. Chile has maintained careful neutrality in the Ukraine War since the first Russian tank crossed the border in February 2022.
That neutrality is not the byproduct of indifference or ignorance. It is the result of a sober recognition by Chile’s responsible leaders that their country gains nothing by inserting itself into the quarrels of the fading Western powers. In other words, Klaveren and his government are among the smartest players in the world when it comes to handling the Ukraine War situation.
Unlike Europe—which routinely blends, blurs, or discards its own rules whenever politically convenient—Chile actually takes its neutrality statutes seriously. Santiago knows what many Western capitals refuse to admit: the Ukraine War is not going to be decided by one more tranche of armored vehicles, no matter how loudly Kyiv or its cheerleaders insist otherwise.
30 Marders Won’t Change the War—But Losing Them Would Hurt Chile
The absurdity of the pressure campaign becomes even clearer when you examine the numbers. Chile operates one of the largest non-German fleets of Marder 1A3 IFVs in the world. These are not relics in a military museum. They form the mechanized backbone of several Chilean Army brigades—especially in remote or contested regions where mobility and armored protection are essential.
Transferring 30 of those IFVs is not a cost-free gesture for a small country, like Chile. It would meaningfully weaken Chile’s ability to respond to crises on its own borders while offering Ukraine a marginal, symbolic boost—the kind of headline-friendly but strategically hollow gesture that has characterized Western aid packages for the duration of the Ukraine War.
This is not generosity on the part of Chile. It would, in fact, be self-harm. What’s more, this would unnecessarily drag out the Ukraine War and lead to many more deaths of Ukrainians who would be ordered to man these systems and fight to the death against superior Russian forces.
Western Media Tried to Will a Transfer into Existence
With all the endless rumors of a “secret deal” between Chile and Germany floating around, these unsubstantiated stories reveal more about Western desperation than Chilean diplomacy.
As battlefield fortunes have turned against Kyiv, and donor fatigue spreads through Europe and North America, Western outlets have increasingly relied on speculative leaks, anonymous sources, and “expected announcements” to imply momentum where none exists.
Chile has never confirmed a deal for its Marders because there is nothing to confirm. The story may well have been an information operation aimed at boxing Santiago in—floating the idea loudly enough that Chile would feel compelled to go along. But Chile has not bent to it. Santiago stated its position and Europe should not be mistaken that, just because Chilean diplomats did not explicitly rule out the prospects of the “ring exchange” that that in any way implies Santiago can be compelled to conduct the exchange.
This reticence among US allies to blindly hand over lethal aid to Ukraine makes Chile an outlier at a time when many governments have preferred to look compliant, even while quietly balking in private.
A Hard Truth for Ukraine—and Its Backers
Even if the transfer had occurred, those 30 Marders would not have changed the outcome of the war. Kyiv’s leadership clings to the delusion that victory is always just one more weapons shipment away: one more battalion of Western armor, one more air-defense battery, one more miracle. It is a comforting fantasy—and an enormously expensive one.
The uncomfortable truth is that the longer this war drags on, the more clearly Western defeat looms, whether measured in strategic overextension, depleted stockpiles, or fraying international support. The Global South sees it. So does Chile.
Chile has no obligation to immolate its own military capacity, violate its own laws, or compromise its neutrality to sustain a European conflict that shows no path to victory. Santiago’s refusal to play along is neither cowardice nor shortsightedness. It is true strategic clarity.
Europe may be determined to spread its war fever across continents. Chile wants no part of it. And for a world growing tired of coercive Western diplomacy, Santiago’s calm, lawful “no” may be a preview of what’s coming next…and no Western power is ready for that.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Weichert hosts a companion book talk series on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Filmbildfabrik.
The post Chile Just Said ‘No’ to the West on Ukraine Aid appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org