Amid shortages, US to provide Kiev with seized Iranian weapons: Report
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Biden administration officials says the US Central Command (CENTCOM) will make the announcement about the transfer of the seized weapons as soon as this week.
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Assault rifles and missiles seized by France from Iran on February 1, 2023. (AP)
The United States will transfer to Ukraine thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition that it has seized from Iran, CNN reported, citing Biden administration officials.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) will make the announcement about the transfer of the seized weapons as soon as this week, the report said.
The weapons are stored in CENTCOM facilities in the Middle East, the report added.
It is unclear at present how the United States will handle the legal aspect of the weapons transfer, the report stated.
This comes as the Ukrainian military continues to face weapons and ammunition shortages amid warnings by NATO that its members are facing the "bottom of the barrel" of their ammunition stockpiles.
US President Joe Biden contacted Western allies on Tuesday to reassure them that US aid to Ukraine will continue, but the White House cautioned that if Republicans in Congress block new funds for Kiev, the money may run out.
According to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, Biden informed alliance leaders that he was "confident" Congress would agree to fund further assistance for Ukraine.
Kirby warned the US aid will only last "perhaps a couple of months or so," adding that it was crucial for Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Meanwhile, Member of the Ukrainian parliament Aleksey Goncharenko made it clear on Sunday that Ukraine would almost surely lose its war against Russia if the United States quits supplying Kiev with military aid.
UK has 'run dry' on weapons to send to Ukraine: Military official
Similarly, the United Kingdom has been depleted of weapons to send to Ukraine, an unnamed senior British military official told The Telegraph.
The senior official told the newspaper that the UK should not be obligated to send billions worth of military aid to Kiev, responding to a previous unanswered request of the former Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace.
Wallace had asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to spend an additional 2.3 billion pounds to aid Ukrainian forces, stressing that the country had been overtaken by Germany as the second-largest backer to Ukraine, trailing the United States.
"Giving billions more doesn’t mean giving billions of British kit," the official told The Telegraph, adding that the UK has played a role in persuading other NATO and its allies "to give more money and weapons" to Ukraine.
Western backers struggle to meet conflict's demands
Pressure on NATO and its allies is a consequence of both increased usage, the destruction of systems due to the ongoing conflict, and Ukrainian dependence on artillery and long-range missiles to cover up for a stagnating ground advance.
However, what is alarming about the senior officials' comments to the British newspaper is that the UK has run out of the aforementioned assets to send to Ukraine.
"We will continue to source equipment to provide for Ukraine, but what they need now is things like air defence assets and artillery ammunition and we’ve run dry on all that," the official said.
