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On Friday, the United States announced for the first time that it will provide Ukraine with Scan Eagle surveillance drones, mine-resistant vehicles, anti-armour ammunition, and howitzer artillery to assist Ukrainian forces in regaining territory and mounting a counteroffensive against Russian invaders. A senior defence official told reporters that a new USD 775 million aid package will include 15 Scan Eagles, 40 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles known as MRAPs with mine-clearing rollers, and 2,000 anti-armour rounds to help Ukraine troops advance in the south and east, where Russian forces have planted mines.
According to the official, the US is looking to shape and arm the Ukrainian military of the future as the battle continues. “These assets are carefully calibrated to make the maximum difference on the battlefield and boost Ukraine’s position at the bargaining table,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted his appreciation for the package, stating, “We have made another vital step to combat the invader.” This latest aid comes as Russia’s campaign in Ukraine approaches the six-month mark. It takes the total US military funding to Ukraine to over USD 10.6 billion since the Biden administration began. Since August 2021, the Pentagon has provided materiel from Defense Department inventories to Ukraine 19 times.
I highly appreciate another 🇺🇸 military aid package in the amount of $775 million. Thank you @POTUS for this decision! We have taken another important step to defeat the aggressor. 🇺🇦 will be free!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2022
The US has previously delivered howitzer ammo, but this is the first time it will supply 16 of the artillery systems. The aid package also includes 1,500 anti-tank missiles, 1,000 javelin missiles, and an unspecified quantity of high-speed, anti-radiation or HARM missiles that attack radar systems. Ukrainian soldiers have effectively used various precision artillery weapons to hold off Russian forces and reclaim ground lost to Moscow.
Under ground rules agreed by the Defense Department, the defence official briefed reporters on the latest weapons aid on the condition of anonymity. For much of the last four months of the war, Russia has focused on seizing the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels have ruled some territory as self-proclaimed republics for eight years.
Russian forces have achieved some incremental gains in the east, but they have also been forced on the defensive in other areas as Ukraine intensifies its attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. Moscow took control of the Russian-occupied territories in 2014. Nine Russian jets were allegedly destroyed last week at a Crimean airport in attacks that demonstrated the Ukrainians’ ability to strike far behind enemy lines.
Russian leaders have cautioned that bombing facilities in Crimea is an escalation of the conflict driven by the US and NATO partners, and that it risks drawing America deeper into the fight. According to one Western diplomat, the battle is “almost operationally stalled,” with neither side able to launch large offensives.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments, said the campaign’s overall speed has slowed, in part because both sides recognise that “this is a marathon, not a sprint, and that spending rates and ammunition conservation are vital.”
However, both US and Western sources stated that Ukraine has been able to launch successful attacks well behind Russian battle lines, undermining logistics support and command and control of Moscow’s forces and damaging their morale. According to the US official, while Ukrainian troops have not been able to recapture much ground, they have been able to seriously damage Russian positions in a number of spots.
Efforts to quell the fighting have also continued. On Thursday, Turkey’s leader and the UN Secretary-General met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in western Ukraine. They discussed a variety of subjects, including prisoner exchanges and a move to get UN atomic energy experts to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
The complex has been under Russian control since shortly after the invasion began on February 24 and has been the site of several explosions. Kyiv and Moscow accuse one other of attacking the facility, fueling international concerns of a disaster on the continent. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will follow up with Russian President Vladimir Putin because most of the issues addressed would necessitate Kremlin approval.
