Ex-CIA chief Petraeus calls for expanded tactical missile support for Ukraine
After the US announced a $400 million aid package during Austin's Kyiv visit, Petraeus warned that more support is crucial to halt Russian advances.
Retired US Army general and former CIA Director David Petraeus has warned that the Biden administration’s latest $400 million military aid package for Ukraine, while significant, will not be sufficient to prevent Russian advances, Newsweek reports.
The package, announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his visit to Kyiv on 21 October 2024, includes armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons for Ukrainian forces on the front lines.
“It comes on top of tens of billions of dollars, of course, from the US and from various European and other Western countries. Is it enough? I fear not,” Petraeus said on CNN, according to Newsweek.
The former CIA director emphasized that Russian forces are achieving daily incremental gains despite Ukraine’s effective resistance.
“What we need to be doing, all of us together, is to try to enable Ukraine to stop the Russian advances on the front lines,” Petraeus stated.
During his Kyiv visit, Austin reportedly said:
“I’ve seen bipartisan support for Ukraine over the last 2.5 years, and I fully expect that we’ll continue to see the bipartisan support from Congress,” Austin was quoted as saying.
Petraeus recommended easing restrictions on tactical missile systems for Ukraine, which would enable strikes deeper into Russian territory. He also advocated for increased international attention to the Black Sea, citing Ukraine’s naval limitations.
Related:
- Pentagon chief announces $ 400 mn aid package during Kyiv visit
- FT: $ 20 bn US pledge boosts G7’s $ 50 bn loan package for Ukraine
- Austin makes unannounced trip to Kyiv, affirming US support
- Zelenskyy confirms successful flight tests of domestically produced ballistic missile
- Western weapon use restrictions for Ukraine are “militarily silly and strategically stupid,” Mike Pompeo says
- Germany to purchase HIMARS systems from US for Ukraine
- “US will not let Ukraine fail,” Austin pledges in Ramstein
- Ukrainian Air Force likely to receive F-16s this winter, retired US Gen. Petraeus believes (2023)
- US needs to crank up pressure on Russia’s economy – Former CIA chief
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