The United States will allocate an additional US$ 400 million to the security and defense of Ukraine, a new military aid package that includes tanks for the first time, 45 vehicles sent from the Czech Republic that will be repaired and upgraded.
Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told a news conference that they are Soviet model T tanks-
that “Ukrainians know how to use” and that will arrive in Ukraine in the coming months, along with other 45 vehicles sent from the Netherlands.
According to Singh, these vehicles “will make a difference on the battlefield” and, despite being old, after the renovation paid for by the US and Holland, “they will be the most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield.”
This new package also includes funding to restore Hawk air defense missiles, to send over a thousand Phantom tactical drones and 40 armored river boats and money to finance armored vehicles.
The American government, As the deputy spokesperson recalled, it has provided more than US$ 24, 2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 45 February.
“The United States remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s short-term battlefield needs as well as long-term needs to deter and defend against future Russian aggression. “, he added.
White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby highlighted in another virtual briefing that the US arms supply evolves as needs in the field change.
The US is also evaluating what it can do in the short and long term to help restore conflict-damaged Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure and is working with its partners and allied countries in the region to provide technical assistance.
Kirby added that the growing proximity between Russia and Iran “is a sign of how isolated the two countries are. are” and also the extent to which Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army “cannot keep up with the pace of the war and the operations it is trying to carry out in Ukraine and must resort to countries like Iran and North Korea”.
Putin today ordered the evacuation of civilians from Kherson in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, as Kiev and the West try to find out if the Russian president is preparing a troop withdrawal or intends to trap Ukrainian forces.
According to Kirby, the Ukrainians are making gains in the south of the country, but the battle lines have remained “pretty static in recent days”.
