The US has again announced a major aid package for Ukraine. Great Britain is also making an offer – it is about controversial deliveries of fighter jets.
The US government is providing Ukraine with more billions in military aid to ward off Russia’s war of aggression. The Pentagon announced a new $2 billion package for Kiev to mark the first anniversary of the start of the war. This includes, for example, additional ammunition for the Himars multiple rocket launchers, drones of the Switchblade type, among other things, or equipment for mine clearance.
This time, the military aid does not come from US military stocks, but is ordered from the defense industry, for example. The US government has done this with some military aid packages in the past. The USA is considered Ukraine’s most important ally in the defense against the Russian invasion and has already provided military aid in the tens of billions. F-16 fighter jets requested by Ukraine were not included in the new package.
“Today’s anniversary is an opportunity for all who believe in freedom, rule and sovereignty to recommit us to long-term support for Ukraine’s brave defenders,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Putin thought Ukraine’s defenses would collapse, America’s resolve would falter, and the world would just look the other way. “He was wrong,” Austin said.
Poland delivers first Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine
Poland has delivered the first Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers are being trained by Polish, Canadian and Norwegian instructors at the Leopard Training Center in Swietoszow, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said in Warsaw. He did not say how many Leopard main battle tanks were handed over to the neighboring country to the east.
Poland’s cooperation with Germany played an important role in the campaign, Blaszczak said. Both countries want to hand over 14 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. Before that was certain, Poland had put considerable pressure on Germany in the discussion about the deliveries. On January 11, President Andrzej Duda announced in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that his country had decided to equip the Ukrainians with Leopard main battle tanks. A little later, the Polish government submitted a corresponding export application to the federal government, which had to agree to the transfer of the German tanks. In doing so, she continued to put Berlin under pressure. In the end, the federal government decided to provide 14 main battle tanks itself and to approve the export application.
London offers fighter jet ring swap with NATO partners
Great Britain wants to deliver fighter jets to Central and Eastern European countries if they in return hand over their Soviet-designed machines to Ukraine. It’s about countries that have Mig-29 or Su-24 jets, for example, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Times Radio. “If they want to donate, we can use our fighter jets to replenish (their stores) and provide security.” The NATO partners had the necessary knowledge to fly NATO jets, which Ukraine does not yet have.
Ukraine demands delivery of modern fighter jets from allies. So far, however, Western countries have reacted with skepticism. The debate about the delivery of fighter jets continues to make “no sense”, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday on the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”. Great Britain is also hesitant, but has announced that Ukrainian pilots will be trained on modern jets.
Source: Stern
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