RT.com
17 Nov 2023, 15:43 GMT+10
The Ukrainian president has attributed the scarcity of 155mm rounds to the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Ukraine has received fewer artillery rounds since Israel launched its military operation against Hamas, President Vladimir Zelensky has claimed. He said that competition for munitions between countries has intensified, particularly for 155mm shells.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon had ramped up arms deliveries to Israel amid its campaign in Gaza. Elsewhere, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also recently warned Kiev that member states could no longer provide weapons from existing stockpiles.
Speaking to reporters in Kiev on Thursday, Zelensky noted that "our deliveries have decreased" and "really slowed down," as quoted by AFP.
"It's not like the US said: we don't give Ukraine any. No. It's just that everyone is fighting for [stockpiles] themselves," the Ukrainian leader clarified.
According to Zelensky, the situation has been aggravated because "now the warehouses are empty, or there is a legal minimum that a particular state cannot give you."
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing an internal Defense Department list dated late October, that Washington had increased defense aid to Israel in recent weeks without publicly announcing the move.
Among the weapons being provided out of the Pentagon's own stocks are 57,000 155mm high explosive artillery shells, the media outlet claimed.
Speaking to reporters ahead of an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Tuesday, Borrell said the bloc had already supplied more than 300,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine, depleting existing stockpiles. The foreign policy chief added that the bloc would now have to switch to domestically produced munitions to satisfy Kiev's demands.
His message was echoed by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who warned that Brussels would likely not be able to make good on its pledge to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery rounds by next March. He attributed the supposed shortfall to insufficient production capacities in Europe.
With its months-long summer counteroffensive having failed to yield any significant territorial gains, Ukraine has lately doubled down on requests for yet more weapons and ammunition from its Western backers.
Russia has repeatedly stated that no amount of defense aid provided to Kiev can change the course of the conflict, warning that continued weapons supplies only serve to raise the risk of direct confrontation between NATO and Moscow.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Munich Metro news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Munich Metro.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Tánaiste Simon Harris has called on the United States to use every hour to reach a zero-for-zero tariff agreement...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A blind woman from Dublin says she was hurt while getting off a bus because the driver refused to pull in close to...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned that there could be a serious trolley crisis this summer...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...