A U.S. weapons manufacturer has offered Ukraine the sale of two advanced Reaper MQ-9 drones for $1 if it bears the shipping and maintenance costs of older devices, ‘The Wall Street Journal’ has reported.
The deal offered by General Atomics requires Kiev to pay about ten million dollars (about 9.2 million euros) for the preparation and shipment of the drones and eight million dollars (about 7.4 million euros) a year to maintain older devices that are not now used in Ukraine.
Also, the proposal, which was submitted last week to the Ukrainian authorities, includes a ground control station to operate the drones, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The White House, which would have to approve the sale, has not commented on the matter, nor has Kiev. A General Atomics spokesman said he could not comment on specific agreements, although he argued that the company «believes Ukraine needs capabilities like the Reaper, and soon».
«General Atomics has been discussing the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with its government for many months now and remains committed to supporting them in any way possible,» said company spokesman Mark Brikley.
The U.S. has so far delivered more than 700 drones – including tactical devices that can be used to carry out strikes – to Ukraine in the face of the Russian military offensive, although the Reaper is a more sophisticated device with greater range, speed and capabilities.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
