Ukraine racing against time to prepare for fresh assault

Allies used D-Day celebrations to underline their support for Kyiv, writes Kim Sengupta, but the West is struggling to find the production capacity for the munitions the country needs

- Kim Sengupta

Speaking in Normandy at the commemoration event held for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Joe Biden declared that the US and the West are committed to unwavering support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, and robust resistance to Vladimir Putin – “a tyrant bent on domination”.

The US president went on to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris to assure him that $225m (£176m) worth of weapons supplies is on its way. It was their first meeting since December, when the Ukrainian leader visited Washington during a congressional impasse over a $60bn arms package for Kyiv.

The bill, held up at the time by Republican opposition, has now been passed by Congress, easing trepidation that Ukraine would face defeat this year without that lifeline. Importantly, the Biden administration, after prolonged hesitation, has belatedly allowed Ukraine to use American weapons, chiefly ATACMS missiles, to strike targets inside Russia – as long as they are not aimed at Moscow and the Kremlin.

The problem now is ensuring that Ukraine receives adequate quantities of missiles and artillery shells. While Russia has put its economy on a war footing, and has secured supplies from countries including Iran and North Korea (and to a lesser extent China), factories in the West are struggling to meet the demand.