Washington puts together another military aid package for Ukraine. A central component are dozens of Soviet-made T-72 tanks from the Czech Republic, which are being retrofitted by the USA and the Netherlands. Deliveries are scheduled to start this year.
To support Ukraine in its fight against Russian attackers, the United States is providing the country with additional military aid worth 400 million US dollars. This was announced by the US Department of Defense in Washington. US military support for Kyiv has thus totaled $18.9 billion since US President Joe Biden took office in early 2021. According to the Pentagon, most of the weapons and equipment – $18.2 billion – have been delivered dollars – pledged since the Russian invasion at the end of February.
The new package included 45 refurbished Soviet-designed T-72 main battle tanks, Pentagon Deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. The tanks come from the Czech Republic. The Netherlands, in turn, also provided 45 tanks of this type. In total, 90 T-72 main battle tanks would be delivered to Ukraine.
The trilateral agreement with the Czech Republic and the Netherlands on the delivery of the T-72 tanks is a direct result of the deliberations of the so-called international Ukraine contact group, through which arms deliveries to the country are coordinated. The package also includes the delivery of drones and the repair of 250 Hawk anti-aircraft missiles.
Singh said Ukraine was familiar with Soviet-designed tanks. On the other hand, introducing a new main battle tank to the battlefield would be extremely expensive, difficult and a great challenge for the Ukrainian troops. Some of the T-72 tanks should be delivered before the end of the year, with the rest in the new year. The spokeswoman also announced that the US was setting up a “Ukraine Security Assistance Group” at its Wiesbaden location to further coordinate long-term support for Kyiv. This is subordinate to the European US command.
US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, pledged continued US support for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv. Sullivan met in the Ukrainian capital, among others, head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyj, his advisor Andriy Yermak and the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov, according to a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. His visit “underlined the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine and its people in defending their sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
