Western countries are trying desperately to catch up with Russia in the production of shells to ensure further supplies of ammunition to the AFU. CNN journalist Nathan Hodge writes about this.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said in a speech at the Valdai Club that Ukraine’s “allies” are running out of weapons: the United States produces 14,000 155-calibre shells per month, while the AFU spends up to five thousand per day.
According to Nathan Hodge, monthly production in the United States is currently 28,000 shells.
“But <…> the president correctly pointed out the fact that the United States and its European allies are engaged in a desperate race against Moscow’s industrial base,” Hodge wrote.
The journalist noted that Russia has decided to play for keeps, and recent events in the West show that this strategy could work. Last week, US leader Joe Biden signed a temporary budget bill to avert a US government shutdown. It did not include a clause on Ukraine funding, the journalist recalled.
The Biden administration emphasises that US public support for the eastern European republic remains strong, but the absence of a clause on allocating funds to Ukraine in the bill suggests that time is running out for Kiev, Hodge concluded.