On May 24 (local time), the US said it had approved the sale of NASAMS air defense systems and related equipment worth $5 million to Ukraine.
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| The NASAMS system fires during a test run. Photo: RAYTHEON |
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the system will help Ukraine increase its defenses, protect its people and critical infrastructure.
According to DSCA, the sale also helps the US achieve national security goals in its foreign policy by enhancing the security of a partner country, contributing to political stability and development. economy in Europe. However, the sale does not include the addition of any additional US Government employees or contractors to Ukraine.
The US State Department has approved this transaction and DSCA has also notified the US Congress, which is also responsible for reviewing and approving the transaction.
Many countries, including the United States, have provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in military equipment, but this time the US supply of weapons is a sale.
* Meanwhile, in a letter to the Dutch Parliament on May 24, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the country wanted to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-5 fighter jets as soon as possible.
According to Ms. Ollongren, the training will be coordinated with Belgium, Denmark and the UK. Other countries can also join the program.
On the same day, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjoern Arild Gram said that Norway will support training programs for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. However, the Norwegian government has not yet decided on whether to supply any F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.
Last week, US President Joe Biden supported programs to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured Mr Biden that the planes would not cross into Russia.
On May 23, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-5s will not make this military organization a party to the war. in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The West has also repeatedly stated that it does not want to cause a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
For its part, the Russian side believes that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will raise doubts about NATO's role in this conflict.
