US Sends More Ammo to Ukraine as Russia and China Meet

In a symbolic move as Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow, Europe and the U.S. pledged more weapons for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The latest China-Russia summit between both leaders has reinforced fears among western allies that NATO is headed towards a new Cold War with a Beijing and Moscow-led block that may ultimately lead to conflict between nuclear-armed countries. 

The latest haul both resupplies President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s embattled military with thousands more artillery shells for its depleted stocks, and the Pentagon sent $350 million worth of new weapons to top off the $33.2 billion it has already sent. 

“Today our victory became closer,” tweeted Ukrainian Minister of Defense Olekseii Reznikov, thanking European Union ministers for the new artillery shells. “[The E.U.] will provide one million rounds of 155mm to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The music of our artillery saves the lives of our soldiers.”

Since the war settled in eastern Ukraine during the spring of 2022, it became a WWI-styled artillery battle with trench systems and both sides firing tens of thousands of shells a day. NATO allies have struggled to patch together enough shells to meet Ukraine’s demand, but with a mix of both new factory production and a united front tapping into their own stockpiles, Kyiv has been able to match a much larger Russian force and its artillery reserves. 

For its part, the Pentagon is reportedly speeding up its delivery of M1 Abrams tanks delivery to Ukraine as it prepares for a much expected spring offensive in Donbas and doubling down on ammunition resupplies of more shells, mortars, and HIMARS (critical long range missile systems). 

“To meet Ukraine’s evolving battlefield requirements,” said a Pentagon release, “the United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with key capabilities.”

The hastier transfer of M1s, though, shows that the Biden administration is hoping to push the Ukrainian military to make serious gains in the coming months as the war settles into its second year. NATO and other allies, including Poland, Canada, Norway, and Germany, have already sent dozens of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv in what many see as a game-changing armored battalion that could break through Russian lines. 

But Kyiv, along with Poland (its closest and most aggressive ally since the conflict reignited last winter), are continuing to push allied nations to provide fighter jets that they think will break the Kremlin’s air supremacy and potentially lead to a total withdrawal of its forces from Ukraine.