The United States announced a $2.1 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, just as Kyiv appeared to be launching its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia.
The shipment included Patriot air defense system missiles, artillery ammunition, unmanned aerial vehicles, and laser-guided rocket system munitions.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the new arms demonstrate “the continued commitment to both Ukraine’s critical near-term capabilities and its Armed Forces’ enduring capacity to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term.”
Since early 2021, the United States has provided $40.4 billion worth of military provisions to Ukraine, with the majority of that value accruing since Russia’s invasion of the country on February 24, 2022.
It occurred at a crucial time during the conflict. Ukraine has been stockpiling weapons and training forces in preparation for a likely arduous land campaign to attempt to force Russian troops to withdraw from large portions of occupied south-eastern and southern Ukraine.
In the meantime, the White House reported on Friday that Russia appeared to be expanding its defense cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of unidirectional attack drones that it is using to strike Ukraine.
The White House cited newly declassified information to assert that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were manufactured in Iran, transported across the Caspian Sea, and then employed by Russian forces against Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Russia has used Iranian UAVs to attack Kyiv and terrorize the Ukrainian population, and the Russia-Iran military partnership appears to be strengthening, according to a statement by White House spokesman John Kirby.
“We are also concerned that Russia is collaborating with Iran to manufacture Iranian UAVs within Russian territory,” Kirby stated that the United States had information indicating that Russia was receiving from Iran the materials necessary to construct a drone manufacturing plant that could be fully operational by early next year.
“We are releasing satellite imagery of the proposed location of this UAV factory in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone,” he said.
