According to a report by The New York Times, the West sent Ukraine broken weapons, citing documents provided by Ukrainian officials on the condition of anonymity.
Weapons provided to Ukraine by the US and its allies have either required fixing or had to be cannibalized for parts, the New York Times reported on Monday. Kiev has also complained that equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars and bought on contract has not yet been delivered.
As proof, the NYT cited documents provided by Ukrainian officials on condition of anonymity, who are frustrated with the West saying they had enough weapons for an offensive against Russia. The Ukrainian attack, which began earlier this month, has resulted in heavy losses of men and equipment without much to show for it.
Up to 30% of Ukraine’s arsenal is undergoing repairs at any given time, according to the outlet, while a lot of Western equipment arrives “in poor or unusable condition.”
One case in point involved 33 American M109 howitzers donated by Italy. According to Rome, they had been decommissioned years ago, but Ukraine asked for them to be refurbished for use. An American contractor was paid $19.8 million to do the repairs. In January, they delivered 13 of the guns, which arrived “not suitable for combat missions,” according to one Ukrainian document.
“The American company, offering its services, had no prior intention to fulfill its obligations,” Ukraine’s defense procurement director Vladimir Pikuzo complained to the Pentagon in a February 3 letter.
Frank St. John, the chief operations officer of the defense manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, stated that they are ready to train Ukrainians to pilot F-16s once NATO reaches an agreement.