The United States is preparing more than 2 billion dollars in military aid for Ukraine which is expected to include long-range rockets for the first time , as well as other munitions and weapons, some media reported, citing Reuters.
Military aid, according to two American leaders, should be announced as early as this week. They are also expected to include support equipment for Patriot air defense systems, remotely guided precision munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons.
However, Biden excludes sending fighter jets : the US president answered with a resounding "no" to the question of whether he was in favor of sending F16s. A no that adds to that of Germany and Great Britain , "British planes are extremely sophisticated and require months of training, so we believe it is not practical to supply them to Ukraine", explained Downing Street.
Kiev does not give up, and after obtaining a timid opening from France, comes up with the numbers: at least 200 fighters are needed to defend the country's skies according to Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat .
The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella also underlined that weapons for Ukraine are necessary to end the war, stating that " political, economic and military support for Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia are functional to ending the war, not to feed it ».
On the ground , the hot front is that of Bakhmut, in Donetsk, where two civilians - including a 12-year-old boy - were killed by Russian bombs . According to ISW analysts, Moscow probably has not yet used all its reserves, and is strengthening the army in the Donbass to prepare for another "imminent offensive".
(Unioneonline/L)
