Ukraine's war machine is starting to slow down as Western ammo dries up
- A top Ukrainian commander says its forces are having to scale back military operations.
- Troops are facing ammo shortages "across the front line," he said.
With Western countries holding back on sending more military aid to Ukraine, Kyiv's forces are running out of ammo.
That's forcing Ukrainian troops to start cutting back on military operations and going on the defensive against Russia, according to a top military commander.
Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said in an interview that Ukraine's military doesn't have enough ammunition — specifically modern artillery shells — to power its war machine as the conflict with Russia grinds toward a second year, according to Reuters.
Tarnavskyi said shortages are being felt "across the entire front line," Reuters reported.
Ukraine is making do with what it has, he said.
"We're redistributing it," Tarnavskyi said, according to Reuters. "We're replanning tasks that we had set for ourselves and making them smaller because we need to provide for them."
He said some Ukrainian units are going on the defensive as others try to push forward.
Ukraine might not get more aid for a while
If Ukraine is hoping for some relief from its partners in Europe and the US, it may be waiting for some time.
In America, Republican lawmakers in Congress have refused to approve more military spending to help Ukraine. They're demanding concessions from Democrats, including more funding for US border security and changes to Biden's migrant policies.
But negotiations have essentially stalled, with Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sending the legislature home for the holidays, all but dooming the chance of getting aid to Ukraine before the New Year.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have cheered on the stalemate.
In Europe, Hungary blocked $52 billion in financial support for Ukraine from the EU. The nation's right-wing leader — who's been friendly to Putin in the past — said the aid should be put on hold until after the summer, the New York Times reported.