The shells are coming: US resumes arms sales to Ukraine after pause
The United States has shipped 155mm artillery shells and missiles for the GMLRS rocket system to Ukraine, two US officials told Reuters. This follows a brief pause in shipments last week, which was linked to concerns about depleting US military stockpiles.
President Donald Trump said earlier that he did not know who gave the order to suspend the arms shipments, but promised to resume deliveries of "mostly defensive" systems to help Ukraine deter Russia's increased attacks.
It is not yet known how much ammunition has already been delivered and whether it is the full amount of shipment. It also remains to be seen whether other systems, including air defence and anti-tank weapons, will resume.
Context: why it matters
Last week, the United States delayed the shipment of 30 Patriot missiles, 8,500 155 mm artillery shells, more than 250 GMLRS precision-guided missiles and 142 Hellfire anti-tank missiles. Kyiv did not hide its concern as Russian strikes continued to intensify.
In one night alone, Russia attacked Ukraine with a record 728 drones - further evidence that Ukraine's air defences need urgent reinforcement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by saying that he was expanding contacts with the US to secure critical supplies, especially air defence systems.
Trump also said he would "consider" sending Patriot missiles, but did not specify a timeline. Meanwhile, Ukraine is calling on its allies to impose "painful" sanctions on Russia, including on buyers of Russian oil that finances the war.
Source: Reuters
