Ukrainian president will show how US military aid goes to America

He is expected to go to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant to begin a busy week in the United States drumming up support for warring Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials and a third familiar with Zelensky’s schedule, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that were not yet public. He will also address the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York and travel to Washington on Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country that manufactures 155 mm artillery shells. They are used in howitzer systems, which are large towed guns with long barrels that can fire at different angles. The shells can hit targets 15 miles to 20 miles (24 kilometers to 32 kilometers) away and are highly valued by ground forces for taking out enemy targets from a protected distance.

Ukraine has already received over 3 million 155mm shells from the US

As the war entered its third year, Zelenskyy asked the US to get permission to use longer-range missile systems to fire deeper into Russia.

So far, he has not convinced the Pentagon or the White House to loosen those restrictions. The Defense Department has pointed out that Ukraine can already hit Moscow with Ukrainian-made drones, and there are doubts about the strategic implications of a US-made missile that could hit the Russian capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will be “at war” with the United States and its NATO allies if they allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons.

At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000 and 8,000 155mm shells per day. This rate began to deplete US stockpiles and drew concern that the level on hand was not sufficient to support US military needs should another major conventional war break out, such as a potential conflict over Taiwan.

In response, the US invested in restarting production lines and now manufactures more than 40,000 155mm rounds per month, with plans to reach 100,000 rounds per month. During his visit, Zelenskyy is expected to meet and thank workers who have increased the production of 155 mm rounds over the past year.

Two of the Pentagon leaders who have pushed for this production increase — Doug Bush, the Army’s assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, and Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer — are also expected to join Zelenskyy at the plant. same as government. . Josh Shapiro, D-Pa.

The 155mm rounds are just one of the many munitions, missile, air defense and advanced weapons systems the US has supplied to Ukraine – everything from small arms bullets to advanced F-16 fighter jets. The US has been Ukraine’s largest donor, providing more than $56 billion of the more than $106 billion that NATO and partner countries have pooled to help defend it.

Even though Ukraine is not a member of NATO, a commitment to its defense is seen by many European nations as a necessity to prevent Putin from further military aggression that could threaten NATO member countries’ borders and lead to conflict much bigger.