A top Ukrainian presidential aide revealed on Saturday, Jan. 28, that the country and its Western allies are holding fast-track discussions about arming the war-torn nation with long-range missiles and other weapons, as per a report by AP.
(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE - JANUARY 29: People look at destroyed Russian military vehicles on display in central Kyiv on a snowy afternoon in the capital city on January 29, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine's Allies
According to Mykhailo Podolyak, a counselor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Western allies of Ukraine are aware of how the conflict is progressing and the necessity of providing planes that can cover the armored fighting vehicles that the US and Germany promised to provide earlier this month.
But Podolyak claimed that some of Ukraine's allies maintain a conservative approach against military shipments due to concerns about how they would affect the global order.
Following months of objections from the US that the M1 Abrams tanks would be too challenging for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain, President Joe Biden finally broke these arguments after deciding that his administration will send 31 of the vehicles to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was persuaded by the move and ultimately decided to support Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks from the country's stockpiles. His decision allowed other European nations with tanks to contribute some of theirs, despite his earlier reservations about taking a unilateral move that would anger Russia.
Read Also: CES 2023 Bans Russian Companies from Exhibiting their Gadgets Due to Invasion of Ukraine
"Iterative Process"
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told CNN that the US decision was based on an "iterative process" assessing the needs of Ukraine, including the technical considerations in managing these military tanks.
The United Kingdom followed Germany and the US after announcing that it will also send 12 Challenger 2 tanks. According to CNN, there are 2,000 of these tanks in Europe.
Ukraine's Western allies have been supporting its war efforts ever since Russia's invasion took place in February 2022. Its supply of weaponry was particularly critical in strengthening Kyiv's military forces.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Saturday that Ukraine employed US-manufactured HIMARS rockets to attack a hospital in the Ukrainian town of Novoiadar, resulting in the death of 14 people.
The Biden administration recently restricted Iran from accessing Western-manufactured components for drones that the country is reportedly making to supply Russia.
The move follows the discovery that the drones' ruins were brimming with US-made equipment, according to a report by the NYT.
Reports say that the US military is helping Ukraine is determining the locations where the drones are being deployed. This task has been proven difficult because the Russians were changing their launch locations from now and then.
Washington is also introducing new technology to strengthen Ukraine in eliminating swarms of drones with gunfire or missiles.
US intelligence officials allege that the Iranians are evading export restrictions for their drone production and are using their knowledge in increasing the output of nuclear centrifuges in the country.
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