The leader of Ukraine’s steel titan Metinvest has labelled Russia’s incursion in eastern Ukraine, where its major operations are situated, as “alarming” and has implored the United States to promptly approve a stalled military aid package.
Russia’s seizure of Avdiivka resulted in its assertion of complete control over Metinvest’s expansive Soviet-era coking coal plant on Monday, signifying the loss of yet another of the company’s facilities subsequent to the Azovstal steel plant, which emerged as a symbol of Ukrainian defiance in the initial stages of the conflict.
The current frontline is now merely 40 kilometres (24.85 miles) away from Pokrovsk, where Metinvest oversees Ukraine’s largest coal mine, with its largest steel plant in Zaporizhzhia situated further to the south.
“The (Russian) advances we have witnessed in the past week are quite disconcerting,” remarked Yuriy Ryzhenkov, Chief Executive of Metinvest, in the company’s inaugural response to the fall of Avdiivka, speaking to Reuters on Monday.
When asked whether Metinvest was making preparations for potential attacks on Pokrovsk and Zaporizhzhia, he stated that the extensive scale of the infrastructure left little room for anything beyond basic evacuation plans.
“You don’t really prepare for something like that,” he stated. “You do as much as possible to avoid that.”
He emphasised the urgent necessity of providing weapons and support to the army.
Although the European Union has recently sanctioned a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid programme, a $60 billion U.S. package has been hindered for months due to conflicts between Democrats and Republicans over domestic immigration matters.
Following a meeting over the weekend with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Munich, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the delays as “political gamesmanship”.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has declared intentions to request European allies to reimburse the United States for approximately $200 billion worth of ammunition.
“We are worried about how the situation is unfolding on the ground, but we are also deeply concerned about the lack of commitment from some of our allies,” Ryzhenkov expressed, alluding to the U.S. delays.
“The message is quite clear,” he added. “Please don’t let us down, it’s as simple as that.”