Top Ukrainian official Igor Zhovkva told Bloomberg the country’s stocks are “almost zero”
Ukrainian soldiers prepare a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer to fire at Russian positions in Kherson region, Ukraine, Jan. 9, 2023. © AP Photo/Libkos
Intense fighting in Ukraine means that its military is running out of ammunition, with stocks not being replenished in time, Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office, has told media. The official also called on the West to provide Kiev with long-range artillery systems, tanks and fighter jets.
In an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, Zhovkva lamented that “now we are having like almost zero ammunition,” a situation that makes it harder for the Ukrainian military to respond to Russian shelling.
“We are running [out] of the ammunition very quickly because the fights are intensive,” he explained, adding that Russia has more firepower.
Zelensky’s staffer also noted that Kiev needs long-range missiles to “de-occupy Ukrainian territory,” as opposed to hitting targets inside Russia. According to the official, this type of weaponry would be crucial to launch a counteroffensive against Moscow’s forces.
On the subject of fighter jets, Zhovkva named several reasons why Ukraine is seeking to get hold of them. He pointed out that, among other things, such aircraft are “very good in intercepting the ballistic missiles.”
He expressed hope that the upcoming Ramstein format meeting on February 14 will see Kiev’s Western backers pledge more weapons, adding that “it’s high time” they stopped caring about Moscow’s reaction to such deliveries.
Commenting on the military aid already provided by the West, Zhovkva said that it was “too late, too little, and too slow.”
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted to the news of the British government possibly considering donating some of its warplanes to Ukraine, by warning that the UK and several other European nations are becoming increasingly involved in the conflict.
“The line between indirect and direct involvement is gradually disappearing,” he stressed, adding that this fuels further escalation.
Peskov pointed out, however, that while unnecessarily prolonging the fighting, Western arms shipments will not be able to change the outcome of the conflict or prevent Russia from achieving its goals.
