American and Israeli officials tell The New York Times that the Department of Defense is tapping into an extensive but relatively obscure stockpile of American munitions in Israel and South Korea to send to Ukraine.
According to the Times, the United States' stockpiles are strained, and American arms manufacturers cannot keep up with the pace of Ukraine's deployment of munitions. So, the Pentagon has turned to two alternatives to assist in the proxy war: one in South Korea and one in Israel.
Originally, the two U.S. allies agreed not to send ammunition to Ukraine. Israel did not want to damage its relations with Moscow. But South Korea was more willing, albeit with a caveat. According to the Times, "the South Korean government did not want artillery rounds marked R.O.K. (Republic of Korea) showing up in Ukraine in violation of South Korean arms export rules."
But "a compromise was reached. Artillery shells from the Korean stockpile would be sent to replenish American stocks elsewhere."
The U.S.'s continued supplying of munitions to Ukraine comes in light of reports Russia has lost three-quarters of its conventional firepower, suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming more desperate.
Last week, Putin deployed what is dubbed the "sledgehammer" to the battlefield. The mortar weapon fires "micro-nukes" that can destroy an area the size of a football stadium.