The same official said this is the first time the US has given Ukrainian forces Scan Eagles drones, but another country has already supplied Ukraine with them in the past, without elaborating.
The Pentagon today announced a new military aid package for Ukraine totaling $775 million, which mainly includes missiles for the US Himars multiple launch systems.
According to a Defense Department official, the package also includes 15 Scan Eagle unmanned surveillance drones, about 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles and, for the first time, 40 MaxxPro MRAP mine-resistant vehicles. Shells compatible with the British weapons systems that London has granted to the Ukrainians will also be made available to Kyiv.
The same official said this is the first time the US has given Ukrainian forces Scan Eagles drones, but another country has already supplied Ukraine with them in the past, without elaborating.
With this new package, US military aid to Ukraine after February 24 now stands at $10.6 billion.
The official noted that there has been a “complete lack of progress” by Russian forces on the battlefield, which has been attributed in part to the Ukrainians’ use of American Himars systems. But he admitted that Ukrainian forces have not recaptured territory, although “we see a clear weakening of Russian positions in many areas.”
Although the US has so far assured that it is only delivering “defensive” weapons to Ukraine, the official hinted that the aim is now to support Ukrainian forces in the counter-offensive they are preparing to retake the southern city of Kherson. “The anti-mine weapons are a good example of the needs that the Ukrainians have to advance their forces and retake territory,” he noted.
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