In an interview with the American channel ‘Fox News,’ Whitaker stated, ‘President (Donald) Trump wants, above all, to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself by providing it with capabilities to carry out deeper strikes within the framework of offensive operations,’ without specifying the nature of the systems or weapons delivered.
The American network ‘CNN’ reported yesterday from an informed source that Ukraine may receive guided air-to-air missiles during this year if a sale deal from the United States is completed.
In this context, the US Department of Defense announced on Saturday that the State Department has approved a potential deal to supply Ukraine with spare parts for the ‘Patriot’ air defense system worth approximately $180 million, in addition to satellite communication services valued at $150 million.
A Pentagon statement read: ‘The US State Department has decided to approve the potential sale to the Ukrainian government and accompanying equipment valued at $179.1 million.’ The statement noted that the contract regarding satellite services includes expanding the use of stations owned by Kyiv.
On the other hand, Russia asserts that supplying Kyiv with weapons hinders settlement efforts and directly involves NATO countries in the conflict, considering it ‘playing with fire.’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that any shipments containing weapons directed to Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets for Russian forces. The Russian presidency also affirmed that flooding Ukraine with Western weapons does not help advance negotiations and will have negative consequences.
