Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits Pennsylvania ammunition plant to thank workers and ask for more

PENN HAS THE SECOND LARGEST UKRAINIAN DIASPORA IN THE USA
THE LARGEST IS CHICAGO



MICHAEL RUBINKAM and TARA COPP
Updated Sun, September 22, 2024


SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Under tight security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday visited a Pennsylvania ammunition factory to thank the workers who are producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country's fight to fend off Russian ground forces.

Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Democrat who was among those who met with Zelenskyy at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, said the president had a simple message: “Thank you. And we need more.”

The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country to manufacture 155 mm artillery shells and has increased production over the past year. Ukraine has already received more than 3 million of them from the U.S.

Zelenskyy said he expressed his gratitude to all the employees at the plant.

“It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail,” he wrote on X. “Thanks to people like these — in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries — who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.”

Zelenskyy's visit kicked off a busy week in the United States. He will speak at the U.N. General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday and then travel to Washington for talks on Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as he seeks to shore up support for Ukraine.

The area around the ammunition plant had been sealed off since Sunday morning, with municipal garbage trucks positioned across several roadblocks and a very heavy presence of city, regional and state police, including troopers on horseback.

As Zelenskyy’s large motorcade made its way to the ammunition plant in the afternoon, a small contingent of supporters waving Ukrainian flags assembled nearby to show their appreciation for his visit.

“It’s unfortunate that we need a plant like this, but it’s here, and it’s here to protect the world," said Vera Kowal Krewson, a first-generation Ukrainian American who was among those who greeted Zelenskyy's motorcade. “And I strongly feel that way.”

She said many of her friends’ parents have worked in the ammunition plant, and she called Zelenskyy’s visit “a wonderful thing.”

Laryssa Salak, 60, whose parents also immigrated from Ukraine, aid she was pleased Zelenskyy came to thank the workers. She said it upsets her that funding for Ukraine’s defense has divided Americans and that even some of her friends oppose the support, saying the money should go to help Americans instead.

“But they don’t understand that that money does not directly go to Ukraine," Salak said. ”It goes to American factories that manufacture, like here, like the ammunition. So that money goes to American workers as well. And a lot of people don’t understand that.”

The 155 mm shells made in the Scranton plant are used in howitzer systems, which are towed large guns with long barrels that can fire at various angles. Howitzers can strike targets up to 15 miles to 20 miles (24 kilometers to 32 kilometers) away and are highly valued by ground forces to take out enemy targets from a protected distance.

With the war now well into its third year, Zelenskyy has been pushing the U.S. for permission to use longer range missile systems to fire deeper inside of Russia.

So far he has not persuaded the Pentagon or White House to loosen those restrictions. The Defense Department has emphasized that Ukraine can already hit Moscow with Ukrainian-produced drones, and there is hesitation on the strategic implications of a U.S.-made missile potentially striking the Russian capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would be “at war” with the United States and its NATO allies if they allow Ukraine to use the long-range weapons.

At one point in the war, Ukraine was firing between 6,000 and 8,000 of the 155 mm shells per day. That rate started to deplete U.S. stockpiles and drew concern that the level on hand was not enough to sustain U.S. military needs if another major conventional war broke out, such as in a potential conflict over Taiwan.

In response the U.S. has invested in restarting production lines and is now manufacturing more than 40,000 155 mm rounds a month, with plans to hit 100,000 rounds a month.

Two of the Pentagon leaders who have pushed that increased production through — Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer — were to join Zelenskyy at the plant. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also joined the Ukrainian president.

The 155 mm rounds are just one of the scores of ammunition, missile, air defense and advanced weapons systems the U.S. has provided Ukraine — everything from small arms bullets to advanced F-16 fighter jets. The U.S. has been the largest donor to Ukraine, providing more than $56 billion of the more than $106 billion NATO and partner countries have collected to aid in its defense.

Even though Ukraine is not a member of NATO, commitment to its defense is seen by many of the European nations as a must to keep Putin from further military aggression that could threaten bordering NATO-member countries and result in a much larger conflict.

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Inside Zelenskyy’s visit to Scranton ammunition plant

Julie Dunphy
Mon, September 23, 2024


SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the hundreds of workers who play a vital role in Ukraine’s defense in their war with Russia.

We’re learning more about the conversation between President Zelenskyy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Shapiro expressed his pride in the state’s large Ukrainian heritage.

Zelenskyy is thankful for the workers in this ammunition plant, as he looks for continued support. Under tight security on Sunday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant.

Thanking the workers who are producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces.

President Zelenskyy also sat down with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro along with other local leaders.

“We are blessed to have so many Ukrainians living here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said.

Pennsylvania is home to more than 150,000 Ukrainians and Americans of Ukrainian descent, the second largest number in the US.


“We feel a special kinship to them, and all of you in your work to defend Ukraine. We stand with you,” Shapiro explained.

“Thank you governor for such words,” Zelenskyy said.

During the meeting, the parties discussed regional cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.

“Let’s sign the agreement,” Ivan Fedorov said.

“Let’s do it,” Shapiro agreed.

Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, a province in southeast Ukraine, and Governor Shapiro signed an agreement to support the region’s efforts to rebuild after the war.

The main areas of cooperation include energy, agriculture, digital technologies, and defense.

“The United States helped us from the very beginning of the full-scale war, but we still count on continuing support,” Zelenskyy explained.

The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country to manufacture 155 mm artillery shells and has increased production over the past year.

Ukraine has already received more than three million of them from the US. Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to all the employees at the Scranton plant.

“Thank you very much, you helped us to survive against Putin’s invasion,” Zelenskyy added.

Zelenskyy’s visit kicked off a busy week in the United States. He will speak at the United Nations General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday and then travel to Washington for talks on Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as he seeks to shore up support for Ukraine.

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‘The democratic world can prevail’: Zelensky begins US visit at ammunition factory
Our Foreign Staff

Sun, September 22, 2024 at 8:20 PM MDT·3 min read
16


Volodymyr Zelensky signs a missile on a tour of the Scranton Army Ammunition Plan on Sunday - COMMONWEALTH MEDIA SERVICES/Handout via REUTERS


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday began a US visit by going to a factory in Pennsylvania that produces badly needed 155mm artillery shells.

“I began my visit to the United States by expressing my gratitude to all the employees at the plant,” Mr Zelensky said Sunday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The post included photos of him shaking hands with workers at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, where he said production had been ramped up.

“It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail,” he wrote.

He will next travel to New York and Washington.

Mr Zelensky arrived in the United States for a crucial visit to present Kyiv’s plan to end two and a half years of war with Russia.

He will present his proposals – which he calls a “victory plan” – to President Joe Biden, as well as presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Agence France-Presse reported.

President Joe Biden meets President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in September last year - Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The visit comes after a summer of intense fighting, with Moscow advancing fast in eastern Ukraine and Kyiv holding on to swaths of Russia’s Kursk region.

It also comes as Kyiv has for weeks pressed the West to allow it to use long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia – so far to no avail.

When they meet at the White House on Thursday, Mr Zelensky is expected to try to convince Mr Biden to change his mind.

Mr Zelensky said the coming weeks would decide how more than 30 months of fighting that has killed thousands would end.

“It is now being determined what the legacy of the current generation of states leaders will be. Those in the highest offices,” he said.

US Major General John T. Reim Jr, joint program executive officer armaments and ammunition, greets President Zelensky at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Sunday - Curt Loter/US Army/AFP via Getty Images

In comments before his trip, Mr Zelensky said the United States and UK have not given Ukraine permission to use the long-range weapons as they fear escalation, but hinted he had not given up hope.

“We have had some decisions in the history of our relationship with Biden - very interesting and difficult dialogues,” Mr Zelensky said earlier this week, adding: “He later changed his point of view.”

Moscow has said it considers such a go-ahead as Nato countries being “at war” with Russia.


Governor Shapiro welcomes Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to Scranton Army Ammunition Plant

FOX 29 Staff
Sun, September 22, 2024



SCRANTON, Pa. - Governor Josh Shapiro and his administration welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Keystone State during a visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Lackawanna County Sunday.

During the visit, President Zelenskyy spoke with workers at SCAAP and thanked them for their efforts.

According to Shapiro’s office, SCAAP builds 155-millimeter howitzer rounds, some of the most vital equipment for Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

"Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American freedom – and our Commonwealth proudly stands with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their freedom against naked aggression," said Governor Shapiro. "I’m proud to welcome President Zelenskyy and his delegation to Scranton – to visit with the women and men who are fueling his country’s fight for freedom – and sign an agreement with Zaporizhzhia that will strengthen both states and foster collaboration for years to come. Pennsylvania looks forward to building a close relationship with Zaporizhzhia as we continue to stand on the side of freedom."

Governor Shapiro also signed an agreement with the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Military Administration, to leverage the strengths of both regions and support the Southeast Ukraine province’s efforts to rebuild after the war while still providing Pennsylvania businesses with an opportunity to participate in the reconstruction through its Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED).

Due to the agreement, Pennsylvania will work with economic leaders in Zaporizhzhia sharing best practices within multiple industries, including energy, agriculture, digital technologies, workforce development, and defense.

"Today is an exciting day for Zaporizhzhia and Pennsylvania," said DCED Secretary Rick Siger. "This agreement will help support the future economic revitalization of Ukraine, while boosting our economy and creating jobs for Pennsylvanians. Five of the sectors included in the agreement mirror those in our Economic Development Strategy, and we look forward to building a strong partnership with Zaporizhzhia in industries such as energy, agriculture, life sciences, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and more."

Shapiro’s office says defense cooperation for Ukraine is still essential.

The office reports that just this month, more than 150 soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard’s (PANG) 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Germany to support the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine.

The national guard’s Task Force Independence is currently training Ukrainian forces in combined arms and maneuver training for battalion-sized units.

Back in December 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it was expanding U.S.-led training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF).

Therefore, the U.S. program will train up to one Ukrainian battalion per month and will help develop the skills of Ukrainian units in specialized equipment.

"Training is key to Ukraine’s continued success on the battlefield," said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). "Our Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers are in Germany, away from their families and loved ones in support of this mission. They, along with more than a thousand other PANG members are currently serving overseas in support of our nation and its responsibility to operations around the globe. We are proud of their commitment and thankful for their service."















U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, PA-08, talks to Ukraine supporters before President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's motorcade arrives at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. The plant manufactures artillery ammunition which is used in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson

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