World News | Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Visits Pennsylvania Ammunition Factory to Thank Workers
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Under extraordinarily tight security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday visited the Pennsylvania ammunition factory that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country's fight to fend off Russian ground forces.
Scranton, Sep 23 (AP) Under extraordinarily tight security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday visited the Pennsylvania ammunition factory that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country's fight to fend off Russian ground forces.
His visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant kicked off a busy week in the United States to shore up support for Ukraine in the war.
He will speak at the UN General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday and then travel to Washington for talks on Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
As Zelenskyy's large motorcade made its way to the ammunition plant on Sunday afternoon, a small contingent of supporters waving Ukrainian flags assembled nearby to show their appreciation for his visit to thank the workers.
The area around the ammunition plant had been sealed off since the morning, with municipal garbage trucks positioned across several roadblocks and a very heavy presence of city, regional and state police, including troopers on horseback.
The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country to manufacture 155 mm artillery shells and has increased production over the past year.
The 155 mm shells are used in howitzer systems, which are towed large guns with long barrels that can fire at various angles. Howitzers can strike targets up to 15 miles to 20 miles (24 kilometres to 32 kilometres) away and are highly valued by ground forces to take out enemy targets from a protected distance.
Ukraine has already received more than 3 million of the 155 mm shells from the US.
“It's unfortunate that we need a plant like this, but it's here, and it's here to protect the world," said Vera Kowal Krewson, a first-generation Ukrainian American who was among those who greeted Zelenskyy's motorcade. “And I strongly feel that way.”
She said many of her friends' parents have worked in the ammunition plant, and she called Zelenskyy's visit “a wonderful thing.”
Laryssa Salak, 60, whose parents also immigrated from Ukraine, also said she was pleased Zelenskyy came to thank the workers. She said it upsets her that funding for Ukraine's defence has divided Americans and that even some of her friends oppose the support, saying the money should go to help Americans instead.
“But they don't understand that that money does not directly go to Ukraine, Salak said. ”It goes to American factories that manufacture, like here, like the ammunition. So that money goes to American workers as well. And a lot of people don't understand that.”
With the war now well into its third year, Zelenskyy has been pushing the US for permission to use longer range missile systems to fire deeper inside of Russia.
So far he has not persuaded the Pentagon or White House to loosen those restrictions. The Defence Department has emphasized that Ukraine can already hit Moscow with Ukrainian-produced drones, and there is hesitation on the strategic implications of a US-made missile potentially striking the Russian capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would be “at war” with the United States and its NATO allies if they allow Ukraine to use the long-range weapons.
At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000 and 8,000 of the 155 mm shells per day. That rate started to deplete US stockpiles and drew concern that the level on hand was not enough to sustain US military needs if another major conventional war broke out, such as in a potential conflict over Taiwan.
In response the US has invested in restarting production lines and is now manufacturing more than 40,000 155 mm rounds a month, with plans to hit 100,000 rounds a month.
The 155 mm rounds are just one of the scores of ammunition, missile, air defence and advanced weapons systems the US has provided Ukraine — everything from small arms bullets to advanced F-16 fighter jets. The US has been the largest donor to Ukraine, providing more than USD 56 billion of the more than USD 106 billion NATO and partner countries have collected to aid in its defence.
Even though Ukraine is not a member of NATO, commitment to its defense is seen by many of the European nations as a must to keep Putin from further military aggression that could threaten bordering NATO-member countries and result in a much larger conflict. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)