WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden announced additional $ 800 million in military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, expanding the range to include heavy artillery ahead of a wider Russian attack expected in eastern Ukraine. . Read more
The package, which brought total military aid to more than $ 2.5 billion since the Russian invasion in February, includes artillery systems, artillery shells, armored personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defense boats, Biden said in a statement after a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir. Green.
Biden said he also approved the transfer of additional helicopters, saying equipment provided to Ukraine “was critical” as it faced the invasion.
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“We can’t rest now. “As I assured President Zelensky, the American people will continue to stand by the brave Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom,” Biden said in a written statement.
The new package includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters destined for Afghanistan before the US-backed government collapsed last year. It also includes 18,155-millimeter howitzers, along with 40,000 artillery shells, anti-artillery radars, 200 armored personnel carriers and 300 additional Switchblade drones.
This was the first time howitzers were provided to Ukraine by the United States.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said some systems, such as howitzers and radars, would require additional training for Ukrainian forces not used to using US military equipment.
“We are aware of the clock and we know that time is not our friend,” Kirby said when asked about the speed of supply.
“BIGGER, MORE POWERFUL WEAPONS”
US President Joe Biden discusses US response to Russian invasion of Ukraine and warns CEOs of potential cyber attacks from Russia at the quarterly business roundtable in Washington, DC, March 21, 2022 REUTERS / Leah Millis
The new aid, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, will be funded by the Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, in which the president can authorize the transfer of US stock items and services without congressional approval in response to an emergency. Read more
John Spencer, a retired U.S. Army major and expert on urban warfare at the Madison Policy Forum, said he was excited to see the United States sending artillery and artillery shells.
“You need these bigger, more powerful weapons … to match what Russia is carrying to try to take over eastern Ukraine,” Spencer said.
When news of the latest security aid came out, leaders of leading US arms manufacturers met with Pentagon officials to discuss industrial challenges in the event of a protracted conflict in Ukraine.
These include executives of BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L), General Dynamics Corp. (GD.N), Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N), Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII.N), L3Harris Technologies (LHX.N), Boeing Co (BA.N), Raytheon Technologies Corp. (RTX.N) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC.N).
In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said the discussion “focuses mainly on accelerating production and building more capacity in the industrial base for weapons and equipment that can be exported quickly, deployed with minimal training and be effective in combat. field “.
Zelenski begs the leaders of the United States and Europe to provide heavier weapons and equipment. Thousands were killed and millions displaced in the seven-week invasion.
Russia has failed to achieve most of its military goals as Ukrainians have turned out fiercer than expected resistance.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” to destroy Ukraine’s military capabilities and capture dangerous nationalists, but Ukraine and the West say Russia has launched an unprovoked aggressive war.
On Wednesday, Russia said it had taken control of the southeastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol and that more than 1,000 Ukrainian Marines had surrendered.
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Report by Patricia Zengerle, Idris Ali and Mike Stone; Additional reports by Humeira Pamuk, Doina Chiaku and Themis Tormo; Edited by Mary Millikon, Will Dunham, Grant McCool and Cynthia Osterman
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