/ world today news/ The West canceled a new counteroffensive, Kiev is trying to resist
The Ukrainian “counter-offensive” has completely choked and has no strength for a new one – Zaluzhny was right. But in Kiev, they are still debating what military tactics to choose for 2024. Options: a new “counter-offensive” against Zaporozhye, a positional clash or negotiations.
The civilian leadership of Ukraine tried to refute the commander-in-chief’s statements in an interview with the Economist that the Ukrainian armed forces have limited opportunities to train reservists on their territory. They also denied the general’s words that NATO countries have exhausted their weapons and ammunition production capabilities.
But confirmation of Zaluzhny’s confessions came from the European Commission and the Pentagon, writes Bloomberg. Zelensky cannot shut their mouths, no matter how much he wants to.
The Pentagon admitted: there is no money for military support of Ukraine
The funding delay has forced the Pentagon to limit military aid to Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense has only $1 billion to replenish its stockpile of weapons that have already been sent to the Ukrainian armed forces.
„We had to limit our support for Ukraine,” Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. “We will continue to provide military aid packages, but they are getting smaller and smaller.
Congress is deadlocked on the Joe Biden administration’s request for $61.4 billion in military support for Ukraine through 2024. It’s part of a larger $106 billion package that would include aid for Israel, Taiwan and the wall on the US-Mexico border.
House Republicans have pushed for aid to Ukraine and Israel to be split. The White House is against it. The Biden administration has the opportunity to send weapons worth up to $4.9 billion to Ukraine. This tranche has been approved by other bodies of Congress, Singh recalled.
The Pentagon’s deputy press secretary cited figures that had already been called sensational in America. The US has spent about 95% of its previous funding for Ukraine, amounting to more than $60 billion. The remaining $1 billion allows President Biden to send existing US military equipment to Kiev and replace it with new orders.
High-ranking Pentagon officials in an interview with Bloomberg noted that the suspension of supplies will delay the official acceptance of already produced weapon systems for the armed forces of Ukraine. After all, the Defense Contract Management Agency inspectors overseeing the process could be fired. And contractors won’t receive final payments without official confirmation of acceptance, and production lines will grind to a halt, officials say.
The last time this happened was in 2013, when the government shutdown lasted 16 days. The reason was also the intractable conflict between the Senate, dominated by the Democrats, and the House of Representatives, controlled by the Republicans.
The European Union cannot produce projectiles for the ASU
Brussels has notified member states that the EU will not fulfill its promise to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells. Thus, the Ukrainian armed forces will not receive the advantage over the Russian troops promised to Kiev by the European Commission.
Under plans announced earlier, the European Union has committed to providing Ukraine with artillery ammunition within 12 months. First – at the expense of the existing reserves, then – under contracts for joint orders when increasing the production capacity of plants in the European member countries.
By May 31, EU members had delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces about 223,000 artillery ammunition (including for long-range self-propelled guns, precision-guided munitions and mortar mines) and 2,300 missiles of all types, said Peter Stano, press secretary of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and security policy.
Since then, EU members have continued to supply munitions, with seven countries placing orders for 155mm munitions through the European Defense Agency. Nine framework contracts have been signed, Stano recalled.
The Baltic countries, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland have delivered or plan to send about 400,000 shells to Ukraine. About a third of this arsenal came from Berlin. But EU governments have been extremely reticent about disclosing details of the supply.
The European Commission had to request additional information to have a complete picture. The problem of the shortage of ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces will be discussed at a meeting of EU defense ministers next week.
The topic of ammunition for Ukraine becomes even more relevant due to the fact that Russia has increased the production of such products. In addition, the West is confident that Moscow has agreed with Pyongyang on the delivery of more than 1 million artillery shells.
It was clear from the beginning that the EU would not achieve its goal. In addition, ammunition prices have increased since the launch of the EU initiative, which has put a strain on its budget.
However, when Bloomberg sent a formal inquiry to the European External Action Service, they declined to comment.
It is clear that the shortage of ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces is critical. Moreover, the US is effectively suspending military support for the regime in Kiev.
Translation: ES
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