Delayed aid left Ukrainians outgunned for four months: Stoltenberg
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Ukrainians have been compelled to ration their ammunition due to shortages.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presents the 2023 NATO annual report during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday said that the new Ukraine aid package was not delayed excessively, though he acknowledged that the delay had resulted in consequences.
"It is not too late but, of course, the delay has had real consequences. The Ukrainians are now for months being outgunned by roughly one to five, one to ten, depending on what part of the frontline you talk about," Stoltenberg told MSNBC.
Stoltenberg mentioned concern over the significant ammunition advantage Russia holds compared to Ukraine, noting that the Ukrainians have been compelled to ration their ammunition. He further said that the Ukrainian military's challenges in intercepting missiles and drones were owed to shortages of ammunition for air defense systems.
Read more: Ukraine suffered 166K dead, injured in its counteroffensive: MoD
The legislation, known as the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, was passed on Saturday in the House of Representatives with a 311-112 vote and one abstention. Among its provisions, the bill allocates $23.3 billion for replenishing defense articles and services to Ukraine, $13.8 billion for advanced weapons systems procurement, and $11.3 billion for US military operations in the region. It also includes a measure to provide long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticized the move, stating that it would enrich the United States at the expense of Ukraine's well-being, ultimately leading to further destruction and casualties.
"This decision was expected and easy to predict. It will further enrich the US and ruin Ukraine, while more and more Ukrainians continue to fall victim to the regime in Kiev," Peskov told the Life news website.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova voiced similar concerns, noting that such actions would exacerbate global crises. She labeled military aid to Kiev as direct sponsorship of terrorism and warned against interference in China's domestic affairs through funding for Taiwan.
"The approval of military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan by the US will worsen global crises: military aid for the regime in Kiev equals direct sponsorship of terrorism, funding for Taiwan means interference in China’s domestic affairs, while funding for Israel sets the stage for an escalation of unprecedented tensions in the region," Zakharova wrote on social media.
Read more: Russian MFA: US giving Ukraine weapons to fight 'till last Ukrainian'
