Developments in Ukraine | Pentagon’s problem in continuing to supply weapons to Kiev

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, Major “Patrick Ryder”, the spokesperson of the US Department of Defense Last night, he admitted, until the US Congress approves the allocation of additional funds to help Kiev, the Pentagon will no longer be able to transfer military weapons from its warehouses to Ukraine.

He reminded in a press conference. “Currently, the United States does not intend to comment on the transfer of weapons from the Pentagon’s warehouses to Ukraine, based on the order of the President of the United States, Joe Biden. Of course, we no longer have the budget to complete (weapon stocks). Therefore, we will continue to work closely with Congress and expect representatives to approve the additional funding request as soon as possible.”

At the same time, the Pentagon official confirmed that the Defense Department, as ordered by Biden, It still has the authority to send weapons worth about $4.2 billion from its stockpile to Ukraine. However, he reiterated that the funds to replenish the stockpile have run out and it is necessary that additional funds be allocated by Congress. Matthew Miller, the head of the press office of the US State Department, also said that Washington would help Kyiv will continue, but the support will not be the same as in 2022-2023.

The White House also confirmed yesterday that the US government does not have the funds to continue aid to Ukraine, but expects allies to Washington should continue to support Kyiv. The U.S. aid package sent to Kiev on December 27 was the last arms package until Congress approves additional funding.

Ukraine’s armed forces are supported by 54 countries, and their total aid so far has reached more than 203 billion dollars has been reached, however, there has been no clear success on the battle front with Russia. Follow the six hundred and eighty-first day of the war in Ukraine:

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America’s request to its allies To continue helping Ukraine

John Kirby, the coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, announced that US officials do not have the necessary funds to help Ukraine, but are confident that European allies will. They will continue to support Kiev.

When asked what options the Joe Biden administration has to help Kiev if Congress does not allocate additional funds, he said: “Although we are able to We will not continue to help Ukraine, but we certainly want our allies and partners to be able to do so.” /strong>

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder announced that the training of a group of Ukrainian pilots in the United States to fly F-16 fighters will end in late 2024. He said in his press conference last night: “We expect to see the graduation of these pilots by the end of this year, but I cannot provide specific details about this.”

A report was published yesterday, stating that Two fighter jets of the Belgian armed forces will be stationed at an air base in Denmark from March to September 2024 to train Ukrainian pilots. Also, about 50 people from the technical forces and personnel of the Belgian units will also be present at this base.

Telegraph: F-16 planes are a threat to the Ukrainian army

The British newspaper “Telegraph” mentioned in a report yesterday that the worn-out Dutch F-16 fighters are not able to solve the problems of the Ukrainian armed forces in the sky of this country, and they will be a danger to unskilled and novice Ukrainian pilots.

This publication also pointed out that the presence of several F-16 fighter planes cannot lead to the air superiority of this country over Russia, while these planes will definitely be targeted by the Russian armed forces.

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Yuri Ignat, the spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, admitted a few days ago that there is still no talk about the transfer of American F-16 fighters to Kiev.

America cannot, as before, Support Ukraine

Matthew Miller, the head of the press service of the US State Department, has announced that Washington will continue to provide financial and military aid to Kiev, but this support will no longer be the same as in 2022-2023. will not be. “We will continue to support Ukraine as long as it takes and as long as necessary, but that does not mean that we will support them at the same level of military funding as in 2022 and 2023 we presented to them, let it continue.”

Miller also mentioned the goal of the West and emphasized: “It is necessary that Ukraine can independently provide everything, including weapons.”

He pointed out that there may come a time when Western financing is not necessary for Kyiv, adding: “But we have not yet reached this [situation], so it is important that Congress passes a bill for double funding.”

Yesterday, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmitriy Koleba, said that Kiev does not have a plan B if the military aid from the West stops, and hopes that plan А will continue.

Matthew Miller, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also explained the position of the US regarding the civilian casualties as a result of the attacks of the Ukrainian armed forces on the city of Belgorod. Did.

Miller was asked why the United States asked Israel to minimize civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, but no such comments were heard about the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces. In response, Miller was satisfied with only this point: “Regarding Ukraine’s avoidance of civilian casualties, I must say that we always ask countries involved in conflicts to follow the rules of the international laws of war.”

Miller He also opposed the view that Russia has the upper hand in the military conflict with Ukraine and claimed: Russia has not reached its declared goals and the armed forces of Ukraine have been able to return part of their lost territories. He also expressed confidence that the capital of Ukraine will never fall under Russian control.

Miller claimed that “even in the last few weeks” the armed forces of Ukraine “were making progress on the battlefield.” Meanwhile, military officials and experts in the United States have denied such a thing. On Thursday, during a debate in the Supreme Parliament of this country on the Basij bill, Valery Zalogeny, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, expressed dissatisfaction with the difficult situation of military personnel in the army. He complained: “I need manpower. <...> With whom and with what force should we continue the war? Or go to the world and ask their people to come to war, and if you don’t provide them, you yourself will go to the front. Come.”

Zalogeny, meanwhile, opposed the recruitment of prisoners and criminals to fill the ranks of the army.

A day earlier, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the chief of staff of the President of Ukraine, admitted that the process of mobilizing men for the ranks of the armed forces of Ukraine has become more difficult for Kyiv than in the past. According to him, Kyiv “has no choice” and in any case the mobilization must continue.

Ukraine Army has lost 6,000 foreign mercenaries

The press office of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported yesterday that the country’s army has so far killed about 6,000 foreign mercenaries who were fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces. According to this information, a total of more than 13.5 thousand foreign mercenaries were present in the operational area. The Ministry of Defense added: Out of the total number of foreign workers, more than 8.5 thousand people were from Europe, more than 2.7 thousand people from North and South America, more than 1.7 thousand people from Asia and also more than 220 people from Africa.

Furthermore, the report notes that Russian forces have killed more than 5,900 mercenaries and more than 5,600 have left Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of Russia added that currently more than 1.9 thousand foreign mercenaries are fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian army.

This ministry also announced that Ukraine’s western allies during the war more than 23 thousand drones. More than 5.2 thousand units of armored weapons, 1.6 thousand units of missiles and artillery weapons, as well as more than 200 units of anti-aircraft systems have been delivered to the armed forces of Ukraine. In addition, the Ukrainian military uses more than 500 US and NATO satellites and more than 20,000 Starlink satellite system terminals.

United Nations: Russia’s economy will grow by 2.7% in 2023

Shantanu Mukherjee The director of the Department of Economic Analysis and Policy of the United Nations Ministry of Economic and Social Affairs announced on Thursday in a press conference that in the whole of 2023, the Russian economy showed a growth of 2.7 percent.

He said: We estimate We estimate that the Russian economy will grow by 2.7% in 2023 and 1.3% in 2024. At the same time, the global GDP growth will reach 2.4% according to the United Nations forecast in 2024.

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, during his meeting on January 1 with injured military personnel in a hospital. Nizami announced a 3.5 percent increase in Russia’s gross domestic product until the end of 2023.

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