by Giuseppe Sarcina, Washington correspondent
The Pentagon’s quantum leap to attacking Russian armored vehicles. Washington’s political signal is clear: at this stage, there is no point in deluding oneself about the possibility of negotiations
The United States is still increasing arms sales to Ukraine. Yesterday, Tuesday, April 12, Joe Biden spoke to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the phone. The two leaders, the White House report said, reiterated their commitment to continue providing military and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv.
The latest news about the war in Ukraine
Today, Wednesday the 13th, the Biden administration is set to announce sending in military vehicles for an additional $700 million, according to rumors from Reuters. Total spending now rises to 1.84 billion since the start of the conflict and 3.1 billion since January 2021. A qualitative jump is expected, with more offensive instruments such as Mi17 helicopters capable of attacking armored vehicles, Russians and other vehicles that are already on their way to Donbass, the expected scene of the bloodiest and perhaps decisive battle of the war. In addition, the Pentagon is also studying the supply of mediumrange artillery (howitzerguns), coastal defense drones, and protective equipment in the event of chemical, biological, or nuclear attacks. Also today, Assistant Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will meet with the CEOs of eight private companies building weapons for Ukraine.
For the Pentagon, the most useful devices remain the Javelin antitank missiles, manufactured by Raytheon Technologies, and the Stingers antiaircraft missiles, which are assembled by a joint venture created by Raytheon itself and Lokheed Martin. Deputy Secretary Hicks will also ask to speed up the production of radar systems and other air defense equipment. Other companies named are Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and L3Harris Technologies. Biden’s move also comes under pressure from Congress, which for weeks has been practically unanimously demanding that Zelenskyy be given what he needs to stave off Russian aggression. At the political level, the signal from Washington is clear: at this stage, it is pointless to delude yourself about the possibility of negotiations. Vladimir Putin’s words yesterday that negotiations are at an impasse are considered confirmation that the Russian leader intends to undermine the Ukrainian resistance. Biden accused Putin of genocide for the first time. The escalation is now complete. Within two weeks, Biden was calling him a war criminal, then a butcher, now equating him with the Nazis and the most pathetic massacre organizers in history.
April 13, 2022 (Change April 13, 2022 | 09:07)
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