“The administration of US President Joe Biden has declassified information about its assistance to Ukraine in the development of the military drone industry. Source: “European Truth” with reference to the New York Times Details: American officials said on January 16 that they made large investments that helped Ukraine start and expand the production of drones.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: “European truth” with reference to the New York Times
Details: American officials said on January 16 that they have made major investments that have helped Ukraine start and expand drone production.
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Much of the US aid to the Ukrainian military, including billions of dollars in missiles, air defense systems, tanks, artillery and training, has been made public. But other support largely remains in the shadows.
It included helping Ukraine develop a new generation of drones that U.S. officials say will revolutionize the way war is waged, according to U.S. officials.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said the support had a “real strategic impact” on the war.
“We’ve seen UAVs become more and more central to the fight in Ukraine and will be central to all future fights,” Sullivan said.
The United States allocated funds to support drone manufacturers and purchase spare parts for them. The United States has also sent intelligence officials to Ukraine to help develop the program, according to people familiar with the effort.
In an interview this week, CIA Director William Burns indirectly mentioned his agency’s support for the drone program in Ukraine.
Sullivan said the effort to use drones began after the first Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, when the limits of Ukraine’s conventional capabilities became clear.
According to Sullivan, these efforts accelerated in preparation for Ukraine’s second counteroffensive, which proved less successful. Ukraine did not gain as many positions as it wanted, partly due to Russia’s use of drones.
After the counteroffensive, American officials said they quickly increased support for Ukrainian drone manufacturers, building on Kyiv’s efforts to develop its own industry.
In addition to financial aid, the Biden administration has worked to establish ties between American technology companies and Ukrainian drone manufacturers.
Last fall, the Pentagon allocated $800 million to the production of drones in Ukraine, which was used to purchase drone components and finance drone manufacturers.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to the White House in September, President Biden announced that another $1.5 billion would be directed to the Ukrainian drone industry.
American officials said Thursday that they believe the investment has made Ukraine’s drones more effective and deadly.
They noted that Ukrainian naval drones have destroyed a quarter of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and that drones deployed on the front lines have helped slow Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine.
Sullivan said the drive to build Ukraine’s drone industry has provided “invaluable lessons” that the Biden administration has begun to integrate into America’s own defense industry.
What preceded:
- The current head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in a joint column for The New York Times, explained the dangers of reducing military aid to Ukraine and a premature ceasefire.
- And President Joe Biden in his farewell speech mentioned Ukraine in the context of foreign policy achievements and how he “strengthened NATO”.