There are growing concerns about the need to speed up the delivery of more ammunition – especially artillery – to Ukrainian forces, as heavy ground battles against Russian forces are expected in the coming days, according to a US official.
As the United States delivers 18,155-mm towed howitzers and 40,000 artillery shells to Ukraine as part of a new security aid announced by President Joe Biden’s administration this week, even that amount could be spent in a matter of days, boosting the outlook. for the depletion of Ukrainian ammunition forces, the official said.
During some of the earlier heavy fighting, Ukrainian forces fired up to thousands of artillery shots a day, the official said.
In the future, the United States believes Russia’s likely strategy is to move weapons and troops to eastern Ukraine from their current positions to the north and then encircle and cut off Ukrainian forces there, the official said.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Millie, have daily telephone conversations with colleagues in the region to encourage them to supply more weapons and supplies to Ukraine as soon as possible.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon hosted the top executives of the eight largest military executives to figure out how to arm Ukraine faster.
The roundtable discussion, led by Deputy Defense Minister Kathleen Hicks, focused on the Pentagon’s goal of continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons, while maintaining the readiness of US forces and supporting Allied defense.
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