The US government has awarded an armaments contract to two companies that are to produce artillery ammunition for the Ukrainian army.
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the essentials in brief
- Kiev’s armed forces are at risk of running out of ammunition in the fight against Russia.
- The US government has announced that it will provide supplies worth $522 million.
Ukraine needs ammunition supplies. The USA want to deliver and has distributed an armaments order.
The US Army announced on Tuesday that the first ammunition should be delivered as early as next month. The announcement comes amid warnings from Kiev that Ukrainian forces may not have enough weapons and ammunition to fight Russia.
The US armaments order that has now been placed goes to the two companies Northrop Grumman Systems and Global Military Products. It has a total value of 522 million dollars (486 million euros).
High ammo consumption
Both sides are using vast amounts of artillery ammunition in the fighting in Ukraine. Last November, a US official estimated that Russian troops fired around 20,000 rounds a day. The Ukrainian army fires 4,000 to 7,000 rounds a day – more than the western allies can deliver.
According to experts, the frequency has since fallen due to the winter and a lack of supplies on both sides. But Ukraine still lacks supplies.
Only on Monday had NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “The current frequency of ammunition consumption in Ukraine is many times higher than our current production rate.”
