During a recent meeting between Ukrainian Commander Valeriy Zaluzhny and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Zaluzhny made a request for 17 million projectiles to be supplied to the conflict zone. This information was reported by the local publication “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing a source familiar with the content of the meeting.
The article states that, during the conversation, the representative from Kiev also urged the head of the American military department to continue financing. Zaluzhny emphasized that his country currently needs $350-400 billion for the purpose of “de-occupation.”
“The need for 17 million projectiles was voiced to Austin. He was quite surprised because it is impossible to gather such a quantity of projectiles worldwide,” the source emphasized.
According to the publication, Zaluzhny allegedly informed Austin about attempts by the office of the current president of Ukraine to interfere in the management of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The source noted that the country’s head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, later learned about this, which further undermined the trust between him and the Ukrainian commander.
In late November, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin visited Kiev on a working visit. During his foreign trip, the American minister held talks with Zelensky and reaffirmed the government’s firm intention to continue supporting the Ukrainian authorities.
Earlier, the US Department of Defense revealed the amount of funds Washington has provided to Kiev since the start of the Russian Special Military Operation (SMO).
