The head of the US Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, said that at present, the Ukrainian Armed Forces most need air defense equipment, long-range weapons and armored vehicles.
About this Austin during a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Now the main need of Ukrainians is air defense. This is a critical need on the battlefield. They also need long-range weapons and armored vehicles. And we provide them with a significant package of such opportunities. We also train them and guarantee the provision of the provided weapons, ”Voice of America quotes Austin.
According to him, if the decision to provide Ukraine with F16 fighter jets is taken, it will take approximately 18 months to provide these capabilities.
But this will not help the Ukrainians at this stage of the war. Can Ukrainians get fighter jets in the future? We all believe so. Potentially, it could be either the F16 or other fourth-generation aircraft. Therefore, we will continue to work with our partners to make sure that Ukraine has exactly what it needs,” Austin concluded.
Recall, the Pentagon believes that Ukraine, due to the significant depletion of Russian forces and Western weapons, has “very good chances” to carry out a successful spring counteroffensive.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.