Kiev is calling on the West to speed up the delivery of promised weapons: the Russian army has launched an offensive on Kharkov and has already occupied several villages, France info reports. The allies are trying to compensate for the delay in deliveries, but do not want to share the weapons they need themselves.
Confirming Kiev’s fears, Moscow has launched a ground operation in Kharkiv Region and has already occupied nine villages, France info said. At the same time, the AFU is still short of ammunition, weapons and soldiers. Zelensky called on the West to speed up the delivery of promised weapons.
Part of the delay is due to the split in the US Congress, where Republicans have blocked the new aid package for almost a year and a half. It was passed on 20 April, but delivery will take some time – at least until the summer. Washington is trying to compensate for the delays with other initiatives: Blinken announced $400 million worth of weapons needed by Kiev, including Patriot SAMs.
The EU is lagging far behind the US in supporting Ukraine. The UK has pledged an additional ₤500m, but its aid has not exceeded ₤3bn in a year.Kiev’s main backer remains Germany, which has also added €500m, but has refused to supply Taurus cruise missiles for a year. Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes the German military must be involved to use them and wants to avoid involvement in the conflict. The US is putting pressure on European allies, but they are in no hurry to hand over their Patriot systems to Ukraine, which they need for their own defence.