WASHINGTON: The United States approved another $270 million in military aid to Ukraine on Friday, including four new Himars precision rocket systems.
Russia has “launched lethal strikes across the country, striking malls and apartment buildings and killing innocent Ukrainian civilians,” according to White House spokesman John Kirby. military
“In the face of these atrocities, the president has made it clear that we will continue to support Ukraine’s government and people for as long as it takes,” he said.
Millions in military
The new aid will bring the total number of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars) delivered to Ukraine to 20.
Kyiv has dubbed the Himars, which can hit targets within 80 kilometers (50 miles), a game-changer in the fight against Russia.
According to the Pentagon, Ukraine will receive up to 580 Phoenix Ghosts — small and highly portable drones that detonate on their targets. military
In addition, 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and four Command Post Vehicles, armored posts that can serve as operations centers on the battlefield, are included in the latest aid.
More than half of the aid comes from a $40 billion package approved by Congress in May for Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov expressed hope earlier this week that the US would provide up to 100 Himars units, saying they could turn the tide against Russian invaders.
Under the condition of anonymity, a senior US defense official denied reports that Russia had successfully destroyed four Himars units. military
Instead, the official stated that Russia appeared to be adapting to the realities of Himar warfare, including increased use of camouflage. military
According to the official, the Himars has become “the most hunted things in all of Ukraine” for Russia. military
However, US President Joe Biden has said that sending longer-range rockets is off limits because he fears that Ukraine will launch an attack on Russian territory and involve the US more directly in the conflict.
According to Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, “Biden does believe that while a key goal of the United States is to do the necessary to support and defend Ukraine, another key goal is to ensure that we do not end up in a situation where we’re heading down the road towards a third world war.”
But we’ve moved billions of dollars worth of equipment at a rate that, according to any fair historical analysis, would be considered lightning fast, and we’ll keep doing it, Sullivan said.
In accordance with earlier reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday. This was Putin’s first trip outside the former Soviet Union following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. military
Putin will meet with Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, the head of NATO, for the first time since the invasion, during his trip to Tehran, to talk about a deal that would restart grain exports from Ukraine to the Black Sea and bring about peace in Syria.
Putin’s visit sends a clear message to the West about Moscow’s plans to forge closer strategic ties with Iran, China, and India in response to Western sanctions. It comes just days after US President Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia.
In the video of Putin’s meeting with Khamenei, the two leaders could be seen sitting side by side a short distance from the Supreme Leader in a stark white room. The only thing visible in the background was the Iranian flag and a portrait of the revolutionary Ayatollah Khomeini.
According to Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, “the contact with Khamenei is very important.” The most crucial issues on the bilateral and global agenda have been the subject of a trustworthy dialogue that has grown between them. military
"Our positions are similar or identical on the majority of issues."
both were approved
Putin’s visit is timely for Iran, which also resents Western economic sanctions and is at odds with the US over Tehran’s nuclear programme and several other issues.
Its clerical leaders are eager to deepen their strategic ties with Russia in response to the emergence of a Gulf Arab-Israeli bloc backed by the US that has the potential to shift the Middle East’s power balance further away from Iran.
After meeting with Putin, Raisi remarked, “Our countries have good experience in countering terrorism, and this has greatly increased security in our region. “I hope that our two independent nations will work more closely together as a result of your visit to Iran.” military
Iran is betting that with Russia’s assistance it can pressure Washington to make concessions for the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal, emboldened by high oil prices since the Ukraine war.
Iran’s crude exports to China, a significant source of income for Tehran ever since US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions in 2018, have been significantly reduced as a result of Russia’s increased tilt towards Beijing in recent months.
According to Reuters, Iran’s crude exports to China have dropped significantly as Beijing has preferred to buy Russian barrels at deep discounts. As a result, nearly 40 million barrels of Iranian oil are currently sitting on tankers at sea in Asia looking for buyers.
Russian gas producer Gazprom and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) agreed to a $40 memorandum of understanding before Putin arrived.
Ukraine and Syria
The topic of reducing violence in Syria, where Erdogan has threatened to launch additional military operations to extend 30-km (20-mile) deep “safe zones” along the border, will be a top priority in the trilateral talks on Tuesday that will also include Turkey. Any such action by Turkey is opposed by both Moscow and Tehran.
Erdogan that any military action in northern Syria would undoubtedly harm Turkey, Syria, and the entire region while helping terrorists. “Maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria is very important,” Khamenei said. the complete story
Erdogan stated that terrorism remained a concern and threat for both Iran and Turkey, and that the two nations needed to fight against all threats, including Kurdish fighters who are considered terrorists by Ankara in Turkey, Syria, and Iran.
Any Turkish operation in Syria would target the YPG militia, a vital component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which rule over a sizable portion of northern Syria and are seen as a key ally by Washington in the fight against Daesh.
According to a senior Turkish official, reports that Russian and Kurdish forces were cooperating in some parts of Syria as well as Turkey’s planned operation would be discussed in Tehran.
Strongest backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are Russia and Iran, while insurgents against al-Assad are supported by Turkey.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent Ukraine crisis, Putin, who turns 70 this year, has taken fewer trips abroad. He visited China in February on his most recent trip outside the former Soviet Union.
The topic of their private discussions will be a strategy to restart Ukrainian grain exports.
A deal aimed at restarting the shipping of grain from Ukraine across the Black Sea is anticipated to be signed this week by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations.
