According to Kirby, most artillery pieces, provided to Ukraine by Washington, are already in use on the frontlines.
“We know that the majority, vast majority of the howitzers that we have sent, just the ones we have sent, are actually on the front lines in various places in Ukraine, and the Ukrainians are using them and using them quite effectively,” said Kirby.
He added that artillery has turned out to be a critical component in Kyiv’s efforts to stem the Russian offensive in Donbas.
“We (DoD) said that when the war was going to now go into the Donbas that it was a fight that was going to be heavily reliant on long-range fire and artillery; and we've seen that bear out.”
The US has been one of the greatest contributors to Ukraine’s heavy weapons stockpile since the full-scale Russian invasion on Feb. 24.
On May 9, the U.S. passed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022, which expands Ukrainian access to U.S. arms significantly, lifting most restrictions for arms import.