PM Shmyhal says he still can’t confirm that new US military aid has arrived in Ukraine
Ukraine’s PM Denys Shmyhal reports no confirmation of crucial US military aid arrival, necessary for enhancing defensive operations and countering Russian advances.
Speaking to CBC News, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said he cannot confirm the delivery of the US military aid to Ukraine after its approval last month, and Ukraine still waits the supplies as soon as possible.
“We still cannot approve that we have this in Ukraine right now, but we are waiting for this ammunition, for air defense systems and missiles, for other military equipment, and especially long- and middle-range equipment,” Denys Shmyhal said.
Shmyhal said the latter is crucially needed on the front to change the situation, “not just deter Russian aggression on the front line, but also to cut their logistics and to have a possibility to push them from our occupied lands here in Ukraine.”
Earlier, The News York Times said that on 28 and 29 April, just four days after President Biden’s approval of the assistance, Ukraine received its first shipments of anti-tank missiles and 155mm artillery shells from the new US aid package, and Patriot missiles from Spain arrived in Poland on April 30, expected soon at the front lines.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister confirmed that Russia took advantage of the six-month-long delay in approving the US aid in Congress and seized Avdiivka City and several villages. He said it’s “not crucial,” but now Ukraine will have to reclaim the lost ground.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out sending troops to Ukraine if Kyiv put in that request.
Macron’s conditions to deploy troops in Ukraine: Russia’s breakthrough and Ukraine’s request
When asked under what circumstances would Ukraine ask for troops from another country, Shmyhal said that for now, Ukraine asks partners only for weapons and equipment. But, he says, if France or other ally of Ukraine would take a decision to bring their soldiers or instructors to Ukrainian soil, “we will appreciate this and I believe that it will [be] easier for us to push Russians out [of] our territory.”
Read also:
- Ukraine gets first weapons from latest US aid just 4 days after Biden’s signing – NYT
- Polish FM: Much better to spend the money on protecting Ukraine than on then having to rebuild it
- Macron advocates strategic ambiguity in French troop decisions for Ukraine
- ISW says waiting for US aid, Ukraine retreats from villages near Avdiivka to avoid being outflanked by Russia
- Macron’s conditions to deploy troops in Ukraine: Russia’s breakthrough and Ukraine’s request
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