Kiev wants extra tanks and shells for the spring offensive, the Pentagon leaks allegedly present
The US and its allies haven’t delivered the tanks, artillery ammunition and different provides that Ukraine wanted for the spring offensive towards Russia, the New York Occasions reported on Friday, citing the leaked Pentagon paperwork.
US army planners estimated that Kiev would wish 253 tanks for the approaching assault, however solely 200 had been mustered by late February. Of these, 140 had been Soviet designs whereas simply 60 tanks of Western manufacture could be delivered by April, the outlet stated.
The West is struggling to meet its pledge to produce Ukraine with tanks, air protection methods, fighter jets and different weapons, the newspaper claimed. Three Ukrainian brigades making ready for the assault had been quick “a minimum of a dozen tanks every” as of February 28.
Washington has reportedly hastened the supply of the 31 promised M1 Abrams principal battle tanks to Ukraine, however they may supposedly not be prepared earlier than someday later this yr. A dozen or so British Challenger 2 tanks have already arrived, whereas many of the German-made Leopard tanks are nonetheless being refurbished.
Kiev’s provide of 155-millimeter artillery shells was all the way down to 9,800 as of March 1, however the US delivered one other 30,000 over the subsequent 12 days. At this level, the Occasions famous, the Ukrainian urge for food for artillery ammunition is “basically limitless” whereas the EU and US business will “take years to meet up with the demand.”
In response to the outlet, the US has solely “supplied” to produce Ukraine with Floor Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), which have a variety of round 140km, noting that “they need to first be constructed, and manufacturing of even a small batch may take months.” In the meantime, there have been studies of the GLSDB already getting used – and intercepted by Russian air defenses.
The Pentagon has by no means formally confirmed the authenticity of categorized briefing slides that surfaced on social media earlier this month. At an April 10 White Home briefing, Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby advised reporters that the paperwork had been “not meant for public consumption” and had “no enterprise” being “on the entrance pages of newspapers or on tv.”
Over the subsequent a number of days, the Occasions and Washington Submit teamed up with the Western-funded “open supply investigations” outfit Bellingcat to trace down the supply of the paperwork. Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air Nationwide Guard airman, was recognized by the Occasions and subsequently arrested by federal brokers. Following his arrest, the Occasions, Submit, and different publications started reporting on the alleged contents of the paperwork trove.
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