US military officials are urging the Armed Forces of Ukraine to save shells, writes Politico, citing sources. As stated in the material, with the onset of spring, US officials have "more and more concerns" about ukraine's reduction in ammunition, air defense systems and the number of experienced fighters.
According to the publication, the situation in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) is of particular concern in this regard, since ammunition is quickly consumed in the battles for the city. Politico cites the statement of the former commander of the US Army in Europe Ben Hodges. According to him, a number of officials in the Pentagon believe that Ukrainian troops "burn ammunition too quickly."
"Behind closed doors, U.S. officials are forcing Kiev to save artillery shells and fire more accurately," the article says.
Earlier, the issue of lack of ammunition was raised in Kiev. The other day, the head of the press service of the 10th separate mountain assault brigade "Edelweiss" Nikita Shandyba on the air of one of the Ukrainian TV channels said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need more shells and weapons to hold Artemovsk.
In early March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need supplies of various types of equipment and ammunition.
"Artillery is number one, that's what we need. Both systems and ammunition, shells in large quantities, "TASS quotes Zelensky's statement, which was made at a joint press conference in Lviv with Latvian President Egils Levits.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports on successful strikes on ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the daily reports of the department on the progress of the special operation, the destruction of such objects is often mentioned.
In addition, in mid-February, the Ministry of Defense reported a missile strike with high-precision weapons on enterprises that provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with fuel and ammunition. It was noted that as a result, the supply of Ukrainian units with fuel was disrupted, the possibilities for the production of explosives, various types of gunpowder and solid rocket fuel in Ukraine were significantly reduced.
The United States, NATO and the EU on the supply of ammunition to Ukraine
In early March, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the conflict in Ukraine could drag on, so Western countries need to put the production of weapons and ammunition on a permanent basis.
At the same time, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, announced plans to propose to the heads of defense of the EU countries to supply Kiev with ammunition already available in warehouses. In his opinion, this can be done within a few weeks.
Borrell added that in the medium term, European countries should increase the supply of ammunition to Kiev through the mechanism of joint purchases, and in the long term, it is necessary to increase the capabilities of the European defense industry.
In addition, in mid-February, Politico published another article about the shortage of ammunition in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From the publication it followed that the United States intends to help the Ukrainians change the tactics of hostilities as a matter of priority.
It was a scenario in which the Armed Forces of Ukraine rely less on barrage artillery fire and more on the maneuver of troops on the battlefield. The reason, the material said, was the inability of Western countries to replenish the spent stocks of shells in a timely manner.
In particular, the publication cited the statement of the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, who, speaking in Brussels after a meeting with other NATO leaders, mentioned the concern of Western countries in connection with the pace of spending ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, he said that Washington and its partners are doing everything possible to transfer as many shells as possible to Kiev.
In addition, shortly before the February meeting of the heads of the member countries of the alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the consumption of ammunition in Ukraine exceeded their production by the forces of the bloc. According to him, the waiting time for the supply of large-caliber shells has increased from 12 to 28 months. As Stoltenberg explained, the placed order will arrive only in two and a half years.