The Pentagon fears that Ukrainian troops will not have enough ammunition for a counteroffensive that Washington expects to begin in late May.
On March 15, speaking at the 10th Virtual Ramstein Defense Contact Group Meeting of Ukraine, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed a sense of urgency and said “Ukraine has no more time to waste.” Politico reports.
“We must deliver on our promised commitments quickly and in full,” Austin said. “This includes getting our armored vehicles to the battlefield and ensuring that Ukrainian soldiers receive the training, parts and maintenance they need to use as soon as possible. new systems.”
The U.S. military is urgently moving equipment to the battlefield and rapidly training Ukrainian forces ahead of a major offensive against Russian forces, which, according to the publication, is expected in Washington at the end of May.
As spring approaches, Washington officials are increasingly concerned about declining supplies of ammunition, air defense systems and experienced soldiers in Ukraine.
“The US aid packages provided four months ago focused on what Ukraine needs for this counteroffensive,” one of the anonymous US officials told the publication.
Moscow and Kyiv continue to throw their military into battle for the southeastern city, which the United States does not consider strategically important. However, the Pentagon clarifies that, regardless of Kyiv’s strategy on the battlefield, America wants Ukrainian soldiers to have the weapons they need to continue fighting.
“There are significant ongoing efforts to build up the Ukrainian armed forces in terms of equipment, ammunition and training in various countries so that Ukraine can defend itself,” General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.
According to the publication, in February, more than 600 Ukrainians completed a five-week training program in Germany, which included skills such as marksmanship, medical training and training in combined arms maneuvers on Bradley combat vehicles and American-made Stryker armored personnel carriers. These forces have now returned to the battlefield, and a second batch of several hundred soldiers is now in the training program.
Also, the publication informs that behind closed doors, some US officials insist that Kyiv save artillery shells and fire more accurately. This is of particular concern in the situation in Bakhmut, where both sides of the conflict are rapidly running out of ammunition.
Recall that on March 15, the tenth meeting was held in the Ramstein format, which, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, should become crucial at a decisive moment in the struggle of Ukrainians for freedom.
During the meeting, it was announced that Ukraine will receive SAMP / T air defense systems, Patriot air defense systems and more than 150 Leopard tanks from a growing international coalition.
Also, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, following the results of Ramstein-10, wrote on his Twitter that the results of the meeting inspire optimism in him.
