Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit today an ammunition factory in the US state of Pennsylvania, producing the critical needs of his country shells for its fight against the Russian ground forces, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Zelensky's visit to the Scranton plant is expected to kick off a busy U.S. tour aimed at boosting support for Ukraine, U.S. officials said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because details of the visit are not yet public. . The president will speak on Wednesday before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and on Thursday he will travel to Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Scranton plant is one of the few sites in the US that manufactures 155mm shells. They are used by long-range artillery, which is highly valued by ground forces because it allows hitting enemy targets from a safe distance.
Ukraine has already received more than three million 155mm shells from the US. With the war now in its third year, Zelensky is asking the US for permission to use longer-range systems to strike deep into Russian territory. So far, he has not convinced the Pentagon or the White House to lift the restrictions. The US Defense Department has stressed that Kiev currently has the ability to strike Moscow with Ukrainian-made drones, and that there are doubts about the strategic consequences if US-made missiles potentially hit the Russian capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will be “at war” with the US and its NATO allies if they allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons.
At some points in the war, Ukraine was firing up to 8,000 155mm shells a day. However, this began to deplete US stockpiles and raised concerns that America's own military needs would not be met in the event of another conventional war – for example, in a potential conflict over Taiwan.
The US responded by investing in reviving its production lines and now produces more than 40,000 155mm rounds a month, with plans to bring that figure to 100,000. During the visit to Scranton, Zelensky is expected to thank workers, have increased the production of this type of projectiles in the last year.
He is expected to be joined by US Army Undersecretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Doug Bush, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
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The 155mm rounds are just one of dozens of munitions, missiles, air defenses and advanced weapons systems the US has provided to Ukraine, from small arms ammunition to advanced F-16 fighter jets. The US is Ukraine's largest donor, providing more than half of the more than $106 billion that NATO and partner countries have raised to help defend it.
Although Ukraine is not a member of NATO, a commitment to its defense is seen by many European nations as imperative to deter Putin from further military aggression.