The US has provided Ukraine with thousands of weapons and ammunition in a new aid package worth $2.5 billion.
The Pentagon on January 19 announced a new $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
In addition to the 90 Stryker armored vehicles and many other armored vehicles, Washington will provide 95,000 105mm artillery shells, additional shells for the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system as well as the nation’s advanced surface-to-air missile system. NASAMS and eight Avenger air defense systems.
The US Department of Defense also announced the sending of 59 Bradley fighting vehicles, with 50 Bradleys approved earlier this month. US officials call the combat vehicle a “tank killer” because it is equipped with TOW anti-tank missiles, and say it could be useful in future attacks against Russian forces. .
The Bradley vehicle is said to be one of the weapons the Ukrainian military needs most as the war of attrition with Russia has entered its 11th month and Kiev is still planning a counterattack. The Bradley is not the best infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in the world, but is said to be as powerful as or even more powerful than some of the infantry fighting vehicles in the arsenals of Russia and Ukraine.
Although the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities has reached $27 billion, Ukrainian officials continue to urge Washington and its allies to provide more powerful weapons such as tanks. M1 Abrams main battle unit. The administration of US President Joe Biden still accepts the offer, but some Western countries are increasingly willing to provide similar equipment. Britain earlier this week pledged to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Germany has also been under pressure to supply Leopard battle tanks, but has so far refused, and has barred other countries from shipping German-made vehicles to Ukraine.
NATO members and several EU countries will hold a meeting in Germany on January 20 to discuss the possibility of supplying more heavy weapons to Kiev, although it remains unclear whether the vehicle controversy will be. increase has been resolved or not. According to a German government source cited by Reuters news agency , Berlin will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine only after Washington agrees to supply M1 Abrams tanks.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that all foreign weapons supplied to Ukraine can become a legitimate target of attack or destruction by the Russian military. At a press conference on January 16, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that new Western military aid packages will not be able to change the situation of the war in Ukraine.
Peskov warned that Western tanks supplied to Ukraine would be burned like other weapons.
Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that to date, the US and its allies have provided more than 4,000 armored vehicles, artillery complexes, aircraft and other weapons. Specifically, Kiev has received about 300 infantry fighting vehicles, at least 1,100 armored vehicles, 210 M777 artillery complexes, more than 400 self-propelled guns, more than 400 other military vehicles.
