Under extraordinary security measures, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited on Sunday a weapons factory in Pennsylvania that produces one of the most necessary ammunitions for Ukraine to repel Russian ground forces, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA. >
His visit to the munitions plant in the city of Scranton kicked off a busy week-long visit by Zelensky to the US, which is aimed at maintaining support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The Ukrainian president will address a session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and Wednesday in New York, then travel to Washington for talks with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Scranton plant is one of the few in the United States that manufactures the 155mm artillery shells used for howitzers. Ukraine has already received over 3 million projectiles of this caliber from the US.
At one point in the war, Ukrainian forces were firing between 6,000 and 8,000 155mm rounds per day. These rates have begun to deplete US stockpiles and have raised concerns that stocks are not sufficient to meet American needs in the event of another major conventional war, such as a potential conflict over Taiwan.
In response, the US has invested in restarting production lines and is currently producing over 40,000 rounds of this type per month with plans to increase monthly production to 100,000.