An earlier version of this article stated that Mi-17 helicopters could be among the new arms shipments planned for Ukraine. Following its publication, a US defense official said that this had been ruled out. The article has been updated. The Biden administration is ready to dramatically expand the range of weapons it provides to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, with the Pentagon seeking to deploy armored Humvees and a number of other sophisticated weapons. equipment. The new aid package could reach $ 750 million, these people said. Like others, they spoke on condition of anonymity because the transfer has not yet been finalized. Preliminary plans released by government officials and lawmakers in Washington also included Mi-17 helicopters, shell cannons, coastal drones and protective gear to protect personnel in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear attack. It was not immediately clear if all of these items would end up in the final aid package. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to comment. On Tuesday night, following the publication of this article, another US defense official said that Russian-made helicopters would not be included. Pentagon to supply drones, armored vehicles and machine guns to Ukraine The forthcoming new report, first reported by Reuters, comes in addition to US security assistance of more than $ 2.4 billion provided to Ukraine since President Biden took office last year, including aid 1, $ 7 billion since Russia launched its invasion on February 24. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government have called for more sophisticated weapons to counter the Russian military’s technological advantages. The Ukrainian army defied initial expectations and staged fierce resistance, having already thwarted a weeks-long bloody offensive in the capital, Kyiv, aimed at overthrowing Zelensky’s government. As a result, Russia has shifted its targets, consolidating its attack on key cities in the south and east. Washington Post and National Security’s Pentagon reporter Karun Demirjian explains his difficulties in deciding which weapons to send to Ukraine. (Video: Joshua Carroll / The Washington Post, Photo: The Washington Post) Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov spoke with Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on Tuesday, Kirby told reporters during a news conference at the Pentagon. The discussion was part of an “ongoing dialogue and conversation” between the two officials and focused in part on arms and other assistance provided to Ukraine. No further details were released, but Reznikov wrote on Twitter earlier this week that Ukraine was looking for additional drones, air defense systems, artillery, armored vehicles, fighter jets and anti-ship missiles. Some of the weapons expected in the next package are new to Ukrainian troops and would probably require training before they could be used in combat. A senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity under the Pentagon’s basic rules, told reporters Tuesday that the Biden administration is open to doing so if it meets specific needs for Ukraine. The United States and its allies have been sending weapons to Ukraine for weeks, with the United States only sending eight to 10 military aid flights to neighboring countries each day, a senior U.S. defense official has said. These deliveries are then transported by ground escort to Ukraine, which determines how and where the equipment is distributed. The Pentagon is calling for the size and scope of Ukrainian military aid As of Tuesday, the Pentagon was close to completing deliveries of the latest items in a $ 800 million security bailout package approved by Biden March 16 and a total of $ 100 million missions approved last week, the senior official said. of defence. The largest package included Switchblade unmanned aircraft capable of being armed with explosives and targeting, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank weapons, including the Javelin missiles. The package, approved last week, also included Javelins, at the request of Ukraine, as it prepares for a new Russian offensive in the east. “These items do not last long,” said a senior defense official. “Once they enter the transhipment sites, are palletized and placed in trucks, these trucks are picked up by the Ukrainian armed forces and transported to Ukraine.” Ukrainian officials have also begun meeting with US defense companies to see how else they could improve their defense. In a recent example, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, met last week with representatives of General Atomics, the maker of the Reaper and Predator drones, said C. Mark Brinkley, a company spokesman. Brinkley said on Tuesday that the company was “currently exploring options” to support Ukraine, which would require the approval of the US government. “We have aircraft available now for immediate transport,” Brinkley said. “With the support of the US government, these aircraft could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots in a few days.” Such a transfer, Brinkley said, would extend Ukraine’s ability to conduct aerial surveillance of the battlefield and provide “particularly lethal strike capabilities not provided” by smaller unmanned aircraft. “Ukrainian pilots who are already familiar with drone operations would not ‘start from scratch’ by learning how to fly them,” he said. In a statement, Markarova acknowledged Tuesday night that she had met with representatives of General Atomics. “Together with our team, we discussed with General Atomics the prospects of increasing the capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current situation in Ukraine,” he said. When asked what material she asked for from the company, Markarova’s spokeswoman declined to comment, saying Ukraine would prefer to “surprise Russia on the battlefield.” General Atomics supplies the U.S. Air Force with the Reaper and the U.S. Army with the Gray Eagle, an upgraded version of the Predator that was widely used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. John Hudson contributed to this report.
