The U.S. government announced Thursday a new military aid package for Ukraine valued at 2.5 billion dollars (2.3 billion euros), which highlights the absence of M1 Abrams tanks, as requested by the Ukrainian government.
However, this new package includes military equipment for Ukraine such as 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, 59 Bradley fighting vehicles and a series of other equipment, as reported by the Bloomberg agency.
The package includes millions of rounds of ammunition, tens of thousands of artillery rounds or night vision equipment, as detailed by the Pentagon, which has sent weapons to Ukraine thirty times since the war began.
Also noteworthy are $125 million (115 million euros) in funds to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky’s pledge to retake the Crimean peninsula.
«The Kremlin’s most recent airstrikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure once again demonstrate the devastating impact of Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine,» the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement.
The Biden Administration has decided not to send tanks to Ukraine for now arguing that «it doesn’t make sense» as U.S. Abrams have high maintenance and fuel costs, ‘The Hill’ has reported.
The announcement came on the eve of a meeting of defense ministers from several NATO member countries on Ukraine at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where they hope to overcome the German government’s reluctance to supply its Leopard tank to Ukraine.
From Berlin they signal their refusal to provide Leopard — German-made — or to allow other countries to do so unless the United States first sends its M1 Abrams.
Zelenski has been asking since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for tank supplies, although he has reiterated his request on the eve of Russia’s launching a major offensive in the spring, so he will have to carry out another major counteroffensive to maintain the upper hand in the war.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
