U.S. calls for increase in defense assistance to Ukraine

Ukraine, which is facing new manifestations of Russian aggression, requires more support from the United States, including lethal weapons systems to deter new Russian provocations.

Former NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said this during an online conference organized by the Atlantic Council on Tuesday, September 7, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“This [the last U.S. allocation of an additional USD 60 million for Ukraine’s defense] is good enough, but circumstances have changed significantly over the past few months,” the ambassador noted.

In this regard, he pointed to the factor of buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border, the use of intimidation tactics by the Russian Federation. In addition, Vershbow stressed that Russia does not stop provocations in the region of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

“The threat and danger still persist,” the expert noted.

According to him, this provides many arguments for talking about the need to increase military support for Ukraine. And it is not just about the Javelin anti-tank missile systems, but also about unmanned vehicles, coastal defense systems, missile equipment - to "deter new provocations from the Russian Federation."

As Ukrinform reported, during a visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States last week, the defense ministers of the two countries signed a framework agreement on the strategic foundations of defense partnership. The document defines the goals until December 2026, on which the bilateral defense relations between Ukraine and the United States will be focused.

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