US, UK, Germany to send more weapons to Ukraine
Thousands of more weapons will be sent to Ukraine.
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A Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fires during anti-aircraft military drills in Volyn Region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released January 26, 2022. (Press Service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command)
A senior official in the US Department of Defense has confirmed that the first batch of the $800 million arms package to Ukraine will be dispatched from the US within one day.
In an interview with reporters, the US official indicated that the weapons package which was approved by Biden last week will be mainly defense weapons that are already used by Ukrainian forces, noting that the stockpiles are being collected before the shipping.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, furthermore, announced that London will also be sending an additional 6,000 missiles to Kiev, which is double the number of lethal weapons previously agreed on.
In a recent meeting between European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, the British PM said that Britain will work with allies to increase military and economic support for Ukraine, providing assistance worth 25 million British pounds on top of the 6,000 missiles.
On January 18, British Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallace, said that Downing Street has decided to provide Kiev with light and anti-tank defense systems, revealing that British personnel will train Ukrainian soldiers then return to the United Kingdom.
Read more: UK military head: “Unlawful” for Britons to fight in Ukraine
Berlin, furthermore, intends to send 2,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. The Ukrainian army has already received 1,000 anti-tank missiles and 500 Strela surface-to-air missiles.
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock also revealed that an additional 1,700 Strela missiles are on their way to Ukraine.
Since 2021, the United States and NATO countries have been providing military and logistical assistance to Ukraine.
NATO to agree new troop deployments for eastern allies
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg announced Wednesday that the alliance's leaders are set to agree at a summit on significant new troop deployments for eastern allies in response to Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
"I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains with major increases of forces in the eastern part of the alliance, on land, in the air and at sea," Stoltenberg indicated.
"The first step is the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia," Stoltenberg told journalists ahead of an urgent NATO summit in Brussels happening Thursday.
He also pointed out that NATO leaders are set to agree on extra support for Ukraine to deal with chemical and nuclear "threats".
"I expect allies will agree to provide additional support, including cybersecurity assistance as well as equipment to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats," Stoltenberg mentioned.
