The United States announced on Friday a new package of military aid to Ukraine, worth $ 2.175 million (about two billion euros), with anti-aircraft guns and Javelin anti-tank missiles.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder explained that this aid package also includes ammunition and long-range missiles for High Mobility Artillery Systems (HIMARS) supplied by Washington to Ukraine.
The new military aid package includes missiles that can extend the range of the Ukrainian force against the Russians.
These are the Small Size Bombs Launched from the Ground (GLSDB, the acronym in English), small diameter missiles manufactured by Boeing and Saab, which can fly up to 150 km and therefore threaten Russian positions.
This offers a wider range […] that will allow [aos ucranianos] conduct operations in defense of their country and reclaim their sovereign territory,” said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.
Ukraine asked the United States for ammunition that could fly further than HIMARS missiles, which have a range of 80 kilometers. The GLSDB allows Ukraine to attack positions in the Donbass region, in the provinces of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and in northern Crimea. This could threaten important Russian supply lines, weapons depots and air bases. Ryder said he does not know how Ukraine will use these weapons.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the US has already provided about €27 billion in military aid to Kiev, the country that has helped the most to resist the Russian invasion.
Washington has announced in recent weeks that it is sending 31 Abrams armored cars to Kiev, after Western allies – such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain – announced identical measures.
The US also announced the delivery of Patriot anti-missile batteries.
In the case of Abrams war tanks, the US will train the Ukrainian army in its use, in a third country, as well as in the use of Patriot batteries, in this case on US soil, in the state of Oklahoma.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people — 6.5 million internally displaced persons and nearly eight million to European countries — according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
