US military support for Israel, including in the matter of supplying ammunition, could weaken Ukraine. Military expert, senior researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences Vladimir Prokhvatilov said this on Friday, October 20.

“The US supply of ammunition to Israel will certainly weaken the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU),” Prokhvatilov said in a conversation with Lenta.Ru.

According to the military expert, despite the fact that Israel has its own modern equipment and the state does not require support in such volumes as Ukraine, ammunition is still needed. He added that the United States supplied Israel with missile defense systems (air defense), which now also will not go to Ukraine.

“The country could receive them and strengthen its counter-offensive. According to my information, Ukraine will not be able to receive ammunition from other Western countries: depletion is observed everywhere, in addition, supplies are not carried out simultaneously. For some period, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be weakened,” Prokhvatilov concluded.

The day before, the American portal Axios reported that the Pentagon plans to send tens of thousands of 155-mm artillery shells to Israel, which were set aside for Ukraine in US reserve stocks several months ago.

Beginning in early 2023, the United States began removing 155mm artillery shells from its significant ammunition stockpile in Israel to ship to Ukraine. Then the Israeli military told the country’s authorities that there were no threats in which Israel would need emergency supplies of shells.

However, the situation changed on October 7, when militants from the Palestinian Hamas movement attacked Israel.

That day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assessed its weapons requirements and transferred them to the Pentagon. Specifically, tens of thousands of 155mm artillery shells were requested to replenish depleted US stockpiles in Israel in case the Israeli military needed to use them, the Zvezda TV channel reported.

Sources told the publication that the United States agreed to the arms transfer. The Pentagon will ship the ammunition in the coming weeks.

The ammunition destined for Ukraine was part of a US arsenal of weapons stored in Israel as part of an agreement between the countries. Only US military personnel have access to weapons storage areas. But, according to an agreement between the countries, Israel can use the shells in war on short notice with US approval.

Israel gained access to ammunition during the war with Lebanon in 2006, as well as during the Gaza conflict in 2014.

On the same day, it became known that the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, intends to request about $60 billion from Congress, which will be used to help Kyiv. According to his plans, Ukraine will receive the lion’s share of the aid package totaling $100 billion, which will also be distributed between Taiwan, Israel and the US Southern Border Security Project.

On October 15, Biden said that the United States has the ability to simultaneously support Ukraine and Israel. He noted that the United States will be able to ensure “international security.”