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New packages of US and European military assistance to Ukraine are fundamentally different from all previous ones. They have much more weapons that can be used in the offensive, according to FREEDOM.
The American package contains a lot of equipment, such as mobile anti-tank missile launchers, command and control vehicles, ammunition carriers, armored cars and jeeps. All this will make the Ukrainian troops more mobile and increase their combat capability.
“Today, hundreds, several hundred new armored vehicles are of great importance for Ukraine and will allow them not only to defend themselves against new Russian offensives, but also to launch their own offensives and retake territories, liberate Ukrainian land,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented.
The Kremlin’s latest air attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure are yet another testament to Russia’s brutality. Therefore, in a new military assistance package, the Pentagon is providing additional NASAMS munitions and Avenger air defense systems (“Avenger”) to help Ukraine counter a range of short and medium-range threats and strengthen Ukraine’s air defense in depth. And the infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers included in this and previous aid packages will provide Ukraine with two brigades of armored vehicles.
“This package, estimated at $2.5 billion, is the 30th withdrawal of weapons from the warehouses of the US Department of Defense for Ukraine since August 2021. It contains hundreds of pieces of armored vehicles, important support for the air defense of Ukraine and other important assets,” the Pentagon commented.
According to The Washington Post, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William Burns recently came to Kyiv secretly to provide Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with information about Russia’s alleged military plans in Ukraine. American intelligence and Western analysts do not rule out that Moscow is preparing a new offensive in the coming weeks or months, taking advantage, among other things, of the depletion of ammunition stocks in the Ukrainian army.
“I am especially proud that the United States has greatly increased its security assistance to Ukraine. Now is not the time to slow down. Time to dig deeper. The Ukrainian people are watching us. The Kremlin is watching us. And history is watching us. So we won’t give up. And we will not waver in our determination to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian imperialist aggression,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The defense ministers of nine NATO countries on Thursday, January 19, issued a joint statement in which they expressed their intention to collectively seek to supply Ukraine with as much military equipment as possible, including tanks, to repel Russian aggression.
“We recognize that arming Ukraine to push Russia out of its territory is just as important as arming it to protect what it has now. Together we will continue to support Ukraine in the transition from resistance to the expulsion of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil. By bringing allies and partners together, we will ensure that the surge in global military support is as strategic and coordinated as possible,” the nine NATO defense ministers said in a statement.
Since February 24, 2022, the United States has provided almost $27 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.
“We tried to make sure that the Ukrainians had in their hands what they needed, what they could use to effectively repel any Russian aggression,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken explained.
The administration of US President Joe Biden also supports the idea of the allies to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine so that it can gain an advantage over the Russians and in the airspace.
Earlier, the cost of a new package of US military assistance to Ukraine, which was announced on Thursday, January 19, is $2.5 billion. It includes 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, ammunition, in particular for HIMARS missile systems, and air defense systems. And in early January, the United States announced the provision of the largest package – for more than $ 3 billion.
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