“Currently, promises do not constitute delivery,” Rustem Umerov said.
Kiev, Ukraine:
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Sunday that half of Western military aid to Kiev was being delivered late.
Ukraine, which is struggling with an ammunition shortage, has said for months that Western aid has been slow to arrive, with real consequences for its two-year battle with Russia.
“At the moment, promises do not constitute delivery,” Umerov told a forum marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
“Fifty percent of promises are not delivered on time,” he added.
Umerov believes this puts Ukraine at a further disadvantage in the “mathematics of war” against Russia, which the West says is increasingly building a war economy.
Umerov said delaying aid would mean Kiev would “lose people, lose territory,” especially given Russia’s “air superiority.”
“We did everything possible and impossible, but if it doesn’t come in time, it hurts us,” he said.
Kiev has been weakened by ammunition shortages in recent weeks, while vital U.S. aid remains blocked by political wrangling in the U.S. Congress.
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