(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In a significant shift, Ukrainian officials have announced their intention to manufacture their own weapons, driven by a massive reduction in foreign donations, particularly from the United States.
This decision was reached during a crucial meeting of Ukrainian government officials in Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged he found money in the federal budget to fund the manufacture of some weapons, as reported by Politico on Monday.
This decision followed the passing of a clean stopgap funding bill by the U.S. government, which did not allocate additional taxpayer funds to Ukraine. Some Republican lawmakers cited concerns about corruption within the Ukrainian military.
Read the new Politico report into Ukrainian corruption.
Understand that Biden knows all of that and much more.
Understand that even though he is well-aware of the corruption, he still wants to send more taxpayer money to them.
No audits. No anything.
Then again, how could…
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) October 2, 2023
Meanwhile, some world leaders are concerned about sacrificing their own weapons. Reflecting the growing frustration among foreign nations over Ukraine, one European official acknowledged, “We cannot keep on giving from our own stockpiles.”
Zelenskyy had reportedly met with military officials at a hotel conference room where he made the announcement. His administration has been marred by corruption, forcing him to fire his top defense leader, who was scheduled to meet with high-ranking Biden officials.
“Ukraine has long been an industrial giant, producing heavy machinery and engines for Russian navy ships and military helicopters, along with armored vehicles, aircraft, and small arms,” Politico reported.
“Many of those production facilities have been damaged in the war. Still, Ukrainian officials are looking to Western defense firms for commitments that they’re willing to invest and build in Ukraine even before the fighting stops,” the news outlet added.
Notably, President Joe Biden admitted in July that the U.S. military was running low on ammunition, which prompted him to greenlight the donation of cluster munitions, a move criticized by several world countries because of the danger posed to civilians.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Biden explained, “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. This is a war relating to munitions and they’re running out of that ammunition, and we’re low on them.”
