[Craig Nigrelli]
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY VISITED A PENNSYLVANIA AMMUNITION FACTORY SUNDAY TO THANK WORKERS FOR PRODUCING 155 MM ARTILLERY SHELLS, A KEY COMPONENT IN UKRAINE’S DEFENSE AGAINST RUSSIAN GROUND FORCES. THE SCRANTON ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT HAS INCREASED PRODUCTION OVER THE PAST YEAR, WITH UKRAINE RECEIVING OVER 3 MILLION SHELLS FROM THE US.
ZELENSKYY’S VISIT MARKS THE START OF A BUSY WEEK FOR THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT IN THE US, WHERE HE’LL SPEAK AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND MEET WITH PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS TO DISCUSS UKRAINE’S DEFENSE NEEDS. ZELENSKYYHAS BEEN SEEKING PERMISSION TO USE LONGER-RANGE MISSILE SYSTEMS TO FIRE INTO RUSSIAN TERRITORY, BUT THE US HAS BEEN CAUTIOUS, CITING CONCERNS ABOUT ESCALATING THE CONFLICT.
DURING HIS VISIT, ZELENSKYY WILL ALSO PRESENT HIS “PLAN FOR VICTORY” TO BIDEN, CONGRESS, AND OTHER WORLD LEADERS THURSDAY. THE PLAN OUTLINES UKRAINE’S STRATEGY FOR WINNING THE WAR AGAINST RUSSIA AND ACHIEVING A LASTING PEACE.
THE US HAS INVESTED IN RESTARTING PRODUCTION LINES AND NOW MANUFACTURES OVER 40-THOUSAND 155 MILLIMETER ROUNDS PER MONTH, WITH PLANS TO INCREASE TO 100-THOUSAND ROUNDS PER MONTH. THIS EFFORT COINCIDES WITH THE US PREPARING A 375 MILLION DOLLAR MILITARY AID PACKAGE FOR THE COUNTRY, WHICH INCLUDES CRUCIAL 155-MILLIMETER ARTILLERY SHELLS.
THE US HAS PROVIDED UKRAINE WITH SIGNIFICANT MILITARY AID, INCLUDING VARIOUS TYPES OF AMMUNITION, MISSILES, AND AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS. SINCE FEBRUARY 2022, THE US HAS PROVIDED OVER 55.7 BILLION DOLLARS IN AID TO UKRAINE.
ZELENSKYY’S VISIT COMES AS RUSSIA CONTINUES TO PUMMEL UKRAINE’S ENERGY GRID AHEAD OF THE CRITICAL WINTER MONTHS. THE UKRAINIAN LEADER HAS EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT A SHORTAGE OF MUNITIONS, BUT THE US HAS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING ONGOING SUPPORT TO UKRAINE.
THIS COMMITMENT TO UKRAINE’S DEFENSE IS SEEN AS CRUCIAL BY MANY EUROPEAN NATIONS TO PREVENT FURTHER MILITARY AGGRESSION BY RUSSIA THAT COULD THREATEN NATO-MEMBER COUNTRIES AND RESULT IN A LARGER CONFLICT.
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