Pentagon says Ukrainian soldiers running out of ammunition without U.S. funds
Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines are running out of ammunition and other weapons needed to fight the Russian invaders, a Pentagon official said Tuesday, now that U.S. funding to support the war has lapsed.
Since December, Washington has been unable to send urgently needed military aid to Ukraine at the same levels as the previous two years, Celeste Wallander, the Pentagon’s top official overseeing international security affairs, told reporters.
That’s because the Pentagon has used all of the money allotted by Congress to replenish U.S. stockpiles provided to Ukraine, and have yet to approve new funding. President Joe Biden last year sent an emergency supplemental request to Congress including about $60 billion in additional funds for Ukraine, but that has been stalled on Capitol Hill over GOP demands for border policy changes.
The latest package for Ukraine, announced on Dec. 27, included $250 million in artillery, air defenses and other weapons. [Continue reading…]
Russian energy company Novatek, opens new tab said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.
The giant Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, is used to ship oil and gas products to international markets. It processes stable gas condensate – a type of light oil – into light and heavy naphtha, kerosene and diesel to be shipped by sea.
It was not clear how long the disruption would last, how many tankers would have to idle outside the port, and what the knock-on effect would be on international energy markets.
Critical infrastructure facilities in the surrounding Leningrad region were placed on high alert, with security units and law enforcement agencies ordered to destroy any drones detected, the regional administration said on Telegram.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing unnamed sources, said the fire was the result of a special operation carried out by Ukraine’s security services.
“The Ust-Luga Oil terminal … is an important facility for the enemy. Fuel is refined there, which, among other things, is also supplied to Russian troops,” it cited one source as saying.
“A successful attack on such a terminal not only causes economic damage to the enemy … but also significantly complicates the logistics of fuel for the Russian military.” [Continue reading…]