2023-11-21 19:33:00
US authorities have cut the supply of NATO-standard artillery shells to Ukraine by more than 30% since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began in October. This was reported by > with reference to an unnamed Ukrainian official.
The American authorities, according to the source, promised Kyiv that the conflict in the Middle East would not affect US commitments, “but this happened.”
The most important ammunition in Ukraine, as > notes, are 155mm artillery shells. According to the source, they account for 60-70% of all supplies to Ukraine.
The channel’s interlocutor expressed concern about the supply of American weapons to Kyiv due to disagreements that arose in Congress. “We have big problems… Basic ammunition is not arriving,” the Ukrainian official said. According to him, Ukraine risks losing its position at the front.
A senior Pentagon official said the cut in supplies to Ukraine was “absolutely” unrelated to the conflict in the Middle East. According to the American official, aid packages are formed several weeks before the actual deliveries, “so there is no connection between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Ukraine.”
The day before, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during a visit to Kyiv, announced that the United States would provide Ukraine with a new package of military assistance worth $100 million. It included, in particular, 155mm artillery shells, although the Pentagon did not disclose the number of ammunition supplied. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, commenting on the aid package, said that “there will be more artillery – shells that are needed right now.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier in November that the supply of artillery shells to Ukraine had decreased since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He did not say how much supply had dropped.
In October, the Pentagon, according to American media reports, decided to transfer to Israel tens of thousands of 155-mm shells that were intended for Ukraine.
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