Patriot complexes and missiles for them are called one of the key needs of Ukraine.

Only three types of weapons can turn the tide of the war in Ukraine. First of all, Ukrainian defenders need artillery shells.

The Telegraph writes about this. It is noted that during the first 18 months of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the United States was the main supplier of artillery ammunition for Ukrainian units.

“In total, the Americans donated about two million rounds. Half came straight from American stockpiles. America quietly bought the other half from South Korea. These shells, along with additional ammunition from other sources, allowed Ukrainian weapons to fire about 10,000 rounds per day for most of the first 1.5 years of war. This was enough to match the Russian batteries, when the Russians burned through most of their ammunition reserves in the first few weeks of the war,” the material says.

However, the Republican Party’s blockade of new funding approval and further reductions in the amount of ammunition the US supplied to Ukraine until late last year reduced the Ukrainians’ daily supply of ammunition by two-thirds. The author of the material notes that a plant for the production of shells is now being built in the United States – it is being built in Texas in addition to an already existing enterprise in another state. Therefore, the US will soon be able to produce about 70,000 shells per month, which is six times more than in 2022.

“There is no reason why most shells cannot reach Ukraine if there is funding to pay for each shell costing $5,000. Combined with shells from the European Union, as well as a separate initiative from the Czech Republic, urgent deliveries of shells from the United States could give Ukraine long-term artillery advantage for the first time in a full-scale war,” the article explains.

The need for Patriot complexes

Ukraine’s second biggest need is Patriot air defense batteries and their missiles. The military used them, in particular, during the downing of 13 Russian aircraft within two weeks.

“Ideally, Ukraine would place $1 billion worth of Patriot batteries in each of its half-dozen major cities, as well as assign one to the eastern and southern fronts. And these batteries would need to be free to fire at maximum speed, meaning they would need a constant supply of missiles , each costing about $3 million. Doubling or tripling the number of Patriots could help the Ukrainians regain control of the front line in the air, as well as reverse the alarming trend of larger and bloodier Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities,” writes The Telegraph.

Armored vehicles

Another type of weapon that Ukraine needs is armored vehicles. The publication noted that the 47th Mechanized Brigade is the main operator of American-made armored vehicles, in particular M-1 Abrams tanks and M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles, so by supplying new equipment, the United States could “save one of the best Ukrainian brigades.”

Bradley and Abrams are some of the best armored vehicles in the world. In counterattacks against Russian assault groups west of Avdeevka, the M-1 and M-2 were used to slow down the Russian winter offensive. As a consequence, to minimize Ukraine’s territorial losses when supplies of artillery ammunition have decreased.

“But the Americans sent only 31 M-1s and about 200 M-2s before the Republicans cut off aid. Four M-1s and more than 30 M-2s were destroyed, the rest were damaged. The 47th Brigade is running out of equipment. The US Army has “There are thousands of older M-1s and M-2s in storage. They will need major repairs before being shipped to Ukraine, but a billion dollars is enough to pay for the work, as well as expedited delivery,” the material says.

Therefore, as soon as Speaker of the US House of Representatives Johnson puts aid to Ukraine to a vote, the Pentagon will be able to speed up the supply of hundreds of tanks and combat vehicles for the Ukrainian army.

Weapons for Ukraine: news from partners

Germany will transfer 10 thousand artillery ammunition to Ukraine. This should happen in the coming days, said the head of the Ukrainian situation center at the German Ministry of Defense, General Christian Freuding. In addition, the country will finance the purchase of some ammunition for Ukraine within the framework of the Czech initiative.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has allocated additional money for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine. It is known that in total 20 countries have already joined this initiative.