WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Sunday we will visit the Pennsylvania Ammunition Plant which produces one of the the most essential ammunition For his country’s fight to repel Russian ground forces.
He is expected to go to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant Zelensky’s visit will kick off a busy week in the United States to shore up support for Ukraine in the war, according to two U.S. officials and a third familiar with Zelensky’s schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that were not yet public. He will also address the U.N. General Assembly, which meets annually in New York, and travel to Washington for talks Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country that manufactures 155mm artillery shellThey are used in howitzer systems, which are large towed guns with long barrels that can fire at different angles. Howitzers can hit targets up to 24 to 32 kilometers away and are popular with ground forces for eliminating enemy targets from a protected distance.
Ukraine has already received more than 3 million 155 mm shells from the United States
With the war now in its third year, Zelensky is lobbying the United States for permission to use longer-range missile systems to fire deeper into Russia.
So far, he has not convinced the Pentagon or the White House to ease those restrictions. The Defense Department has stressed that Ukraine could already strike Moscow with Ukrainian-made drones, and there is hesitation about the strategic implications of a U.S.-made missile hitting the Russian capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would be “at war” with the United States and its NATO allies if they allowed Ukraine to use long-range weapons.
At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000 and 8,000 155mm shells per day. This rate began to deplete U.S. stockpiles and raised concerns that the available level would not be sufficient to meet U.S. military needs if another major conventional war broke out, such as a possible conflict over Taiwan.
In response to this situation, the United States has invested in reviving production lines and is now producing over 40,000 155mm cartridges per month, with plans to reach 100,000 cartridges per month. During his visit, Zelensky is expected to meet and thank workers who have increased production of 155mm cartridges over the past year.
Two of the Pentagon leaders who pushed the production increase — Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, and Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer — are also expected to join Zelenskyy at the plant, as is Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat from Pennsylvania.
The 155mm shells are just one example of the many munitions, missiles, air defense, and advanced weapons systems the United States has provided to Ukraine, ranging from small arms bullets to state-of-the-art F-16 fighter jets. was the largest donor to Ukraineproviding more than $56 billion of the more than $106 billion raised by NATO and partner countries to contribute to its defense.
Although Ukraine is not a NATO member, commitment to its defense is seen by many European countries as necessary to prevent Putin from engaging in further military aggression that could threaten neighboring NATO members and escalate into a much wider conflict.
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Associated Press journalist Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
