Officials in Israel, which has so far refrained from sending arms to Kiev, are concerned about the decision.
According to the New York Times, the US military is supplying Ukraine with tens of thousands of artillery rounds that were taken from Israeli stockpiles. Reports say that the Pentagon is “scrambling” to find more ammunition as Ukrainian soldiers use up what they have.
According to various unidentified Israeli and American officials, the Pentagon has used a “huge but little-known stockpile of American weaponry in Israel to help meet Ukraine‘s critical demand for artillery shells,” the Times said on Tuesday. Israel has agreed to let Washington obtain approximately 300,000 155-millimeter rounds from storage facilities on Israeli territory, though it’s unclear when the agreement was reached.
The Times said that “about half of the 300,000 rounds earmarked for Ukraine have already been sent to Europe and will ultimately be delivered through Poland.”
The Pentagon has been forced to look for new weapons supplies because Ukrainian troops are said to be blowing through about 90,000 shells per month, which is twice the rate produced by the United States and Europe combined. The stockpile in Israel is meant for use in America’s Middle East conflicts, several of which are still simmering.
READ ALSO: Russian soldier was imprisoned for declining to fight in Ukraine
Since the crisis with Russia began in February last year, the US has shipped or allowed the shipment of little more than one million 155-millimeter rounds to Ukraine. A senior US official told the Times that “a considerable amount” of that had been taken from South Korea’s and Israel’s existing stocks, though he did not say how much total had come from either.
Israeli authorities “originally expressed misgivings” about the proposal to use domestic supplies because they thought it may imply that Israel is “complicit in arming Ukraine.” However, the government eventually approved the plan under the condition that the Pentagon restock the arsenal. The Times reported that Washington had also promised to “quickly ship ammunition in a serious emergency.”
Since hostilities broke out last year, Israel has attempted to tread a diplomatic fine line between the two warring governments while maintaining relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Israel has largely refused to join its Western allies in arming Ukraine or imposing economic sanctions against Russia out of concern that such hostile actions might deteriorate relations with Moscow, despite offering to assist in mediating peace talks and providing Kiev with multiple rounds of humanitarian aid.
Kissinger modifies his stance on Ukraine. READ MORE
The US has sanctioned over $25 billion in direct military aid to Kiev under President Joe Biden and most recently decided to supply 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and a variety of other weapons in its most recent $3 billion arms deal. However, Ukrainian officials have persisted in demanding more equipment and are now pleading with Washington and its allies in Europe to supply main battle tanks as well as upgraded air defences, among other weapons. While the US has thus far rejected requests for tanks, military officials from the NATO-member “Ukraine Defense Contact Group” will gather on Friday at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base to discuss the potential transfer of heavier weapons.
