Kyiv [Ukraine], February 25 (ANI): Urging the Western countries to deliver the pledged military aid timely to Ukraine, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that Kyiv is losing personnel and territories in the war against Russia.
Umerov said that half of all the military aid pledged by the Western countries arrives late which is costing the country heavily on the battlefield, CNN reported.
“If what is allocated does not arrive on time, we lose personnel, we lose territories. This is a war where allied forces must provide supplies on time,” he said. “At the moment, commitment doesn’t constitute delivery.”
Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Umerov blamed the delays on what he called a “dynamic and changing” situation.
Umerov’s comments come as Ukraine’s support from its allies appears to be faltering, as reported by CNN. A package of aid from the United States remains stalled in Congress, while the European Union has fallen short of previous commitments to supply Ukraine with more ammunition.
Ukraine is attempting to fill that shortfall by boosting its own defence industries.
Speaking at the same conference, Ukraine Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said the country’s defence industry “tripled its production capacity last year.”
However, he also noted that Ukraine needs a lot more ammunition than it can manufacture on its own.
“No matter how much we increase production in Ukraine, the needs of our front line are greater than the production of the United States and the European Union combined,” Kamyshin said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is expecting to get USD 11.8 billion from the US this year, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“This is what we agreed on, this is what will help us close the financial gap. And we are deeply convinced that the United States will not leave Ukraine alone in terms of both financial support and armed military support, because they are combined in one package,” Shmyhal said.
Earlier, a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks struck Ukraine overnight Saturday and early Sunday morning, CNN reported citing military officials across the country. But, the number of casualties appears small.
The “massive attack” left one person injured in Kostiantynivka, in the eastern region of Donetsk. Residential buildings, a train station and educational facilities were hit.
The head of the Donetsk regional military administration said in a social media post on Sunday, that the Russian forces had shelled the districts of Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut, forcing 81 people to evacuate. (ANI)
