For the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, the United States is supplying Kiev with the kinds of high-powered weaponry that some Biden administration officials deemed too much of a risk a few weeks ago.
The $800 million list is driven not only by direct orders from Ukraine, but also in preparation for a new fight in the south-east of the country, right next to Russia, terrain that offers Russian forces natural military advantages.
The new weapons package represents the strongest signal yet that the war in Ukraine is changing – and so the weapons Ukraine will need to fight the Russian army, which has regrouped and resupplied after its initial failures in the first weeks of the war. .
The Biden administration announced that the new package includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters that were initially destined for Afghanistan, 18 155mm Howitzer cannons and an additional 300 Switchblade drones, as well as radar systems.
This set stands out from previous security assistance in part because it includes more sophisticated and heavier weaponry. A US official told the CNN that this was planned, arguing that as Russia has changed its strategy to concentrate forces in eastern Ukraine, the US is changing its own strategy.
“The contours of what they need are very different,” the official said.
The newly authorized package was announced days after national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley spent more than two hours on the phone with their Ukrainian counterparts.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov twice last week. Reznikov gave an update on the situation on the ground, which allowed Austin to determine which weapons Ukraine needed most.
Biden broke the news of the assistance package during a 58-minute phone call with Zelensky on Wednesday. There was one item Zelensky asked for directly from Biden: Mi-17 helicopters.
According to a US government source, the helicopters were not initially included because US officials were unsure whether the Ukrainians wanted or needed them at this time. Zelensky made it clear to the president that he did.
“A bit like Kansas”
The weapons provided are focused on the type of combat likely to take place in the Donbas region – open terrain, rather than close-quarters fighting in urban and wooded areas that took place in areas around Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.
The region also borders southwestern Russia, allowing Russian forces to avoid the kinds of supply, logistics and communication problems that got in the way of their all-out invasion of the country from the start.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the package was tailor-made for the fighting in Donbas, a topography he described as “a bit like Kansas”.
“It’s a little flatter. It’s a little more open. And it’s the kind of place where we can anticipate that the Russians will want to use tanks and long-range artillery, and rockets to hit their targets before sending in ground troops,” Kirby said.
The new weapons package, Kirby added, was “a great effort to give the Ukrainians every possible advantage in this fight to come.”
The Biden administration has faced bipartisan pressure to do more to help Ukraine, particularly in calls to ship more powerful weapons. But the government held out for weeks, wary of how Russian President Vladimir Putin, with his forces already mobilized, would respond.
Officials have warned that the Kremlin may see this as an escalation of the conflict or an indication that the United States is joining the fight.
The issue was felt most acutely with the MiG-29 fighters requested by Ukraine. The US government refused to participate in sending jets from a third country to Ukraine via the United States, rejecting a proposal from Poland.
The US feared, Kirby said on March 9, that “the transfer of combat aircraft could now be mistaken by Putin and the Russians as an escalation step.”
Now, the Biden administration’s rhetoric appears to have shifted along with the scope of the war. As the US prepares to send the types of weapons it has not sent since the start of the invasion, the Pentagon insisted that this was part of the US commitment “from the beginning” to help Ukraine defend itself.
“How is this interpreted by the Russians – you can ask Mr. Putin and the Kremlin,” Kirby said Wednesday.
‘Very quickly in a different place’
For weeks, Zelensky begged world leaders for more weapons and equipment. In March, he spoke to the parliaments of 17 countries, as well as three international organizations, without straying from his core message: Ukraine needs more weapons.
Zelensly asked Congress for new air defense systems to help defend Ukraine’s skies. He requested 1% of NATO’s tanks and planes to fight Russian forces, and sought more weapons from Belgium, warning that if Ukraine loses, the European Union also loses.
But their calls for heavier firepower went largely unanswered. Most countries sent more ammunition for small arms and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as medical equipment. Now, with Russian forces preparing for a heavy attack in the Donbas region, the tide is turning.
“What people are prepared to provide has grown considerably in recent weeks,” the US official said. Once Ukrainian forces were able to stop the Russian invasion in the early days, security assistance options were placed “very quickly in a different place”.
Slovakia has supplied Ukraine with S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. The Czech Republic sent T-72 tanks. The UK announced that it would send 120 armored vehicles. And now the United States has authorized a number of new and more powerful weapons.
Pentagon says it’s working as fast as possible
Kirby said several US-deployed warfare systems would require additional training for the Ukrainians, including counter-artillery radars.
Many of the weapons being directed to Ukraine are heavier, making them more difficult to transport across the country. Ukraine has collected the weapons supplied so far on its western border before transferring them to forces across the country.
Kirby said the Pentagon knows that “time is not our friend” as Russia prepares its next offensive, but that it is working to get equipment into Ukraine’s hands as quickly as possible:
The Pentagon on Wednesday hosted the CEOs of the eight largest military contractors to figure out how to arm Ukraine faster, according to a statement. The meeting, led by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, focused on the goal of continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons, maintaining the readiness of American forces and supporting the defense of the allies.
Source: CNN Brasil
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