2024-04-10 21:42:01
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top general of U.S. forces in Europe told Congress Wednesday that Ukraine will be outnumbered 10 to 1 by Russia within weeks if Congress doesn’t soon find a way to approve more munitions. and weapons to kyiv.
The testimony by Army General Christopher Cavoli, commander of the US European Command, and Celeste Wallander, undersecretary of Defense for international security affairs, comes as Congress enters the decisive weeks to vote on an aid package for Ukraine, but there is no guarantee that financing will improve in time.
Ukraine rations its ammunition as Congress delays approval of the additional $60 billion aid package.
“They are currently being outscored 5 to 1 by the Russian side. So the Russians fire five times as many artillery shells at the Ukrainians as they can use to counterattack. This ratio will immediately go to 10 to 1 in a few weeks,” Cavoli said. “We are not talking about months. “We are not speaking hypothetically.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has tried to find a way to advance the aid package, which would fund new rounds of munitions production at U.S. companies that would allow the Pentagon to immediately ship more munitions to Ukraine. . Johnson is trying to bring it to the House floor for a vote, but faces concerns from members who cite domestic needs, including border security.
The House speaker also faces a threat to his leadership from his far-right flank from Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has called for his impeachment over the issue.
As political battles continue on Capitol Hill, the plight worsens for Ukraine on the battlefield.
Cavoli told lawmakers that the United States’ shipment of 155-millimeter artillery shells has been a vital aid during the conflict. “The biggest killer on the battlefield is artillery. It is in most conflicts, but in this one it definitely is. And if Ukraine runs out of them, it will be because we stop supplying them, since we supply most of them,” Cavoli said.
Russia’s missile production has multiplied, and it can launch large-scale strikes every few days. If Ukraine’s reserves of anti-aircraft systems are depleted, “such attacks will undoubtedly paralyze the economy, as well as civil society and the armed forces of Ukraine if they are not defended with a supply of interceptors from the United States.” ”Cavoli said.
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