Ukraine has received aircraft and spare parts for its aircraft from other countries, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. He noted, however, that the United States assisted in the transport of parts, but not in the transfer of entire aircraft. The spokesman said aid to Ukraine would also be the subject of a conversation between the US and Polish defense secretaries on Wednesday.
– I would say, without going into details of what other countries donated, that they (Ukrainians) received additional platforms and parts so that they could increase the size of their fleet, John Kirby said at a press conference. As a result of this assistance, Ukraine has more aircraft than two weeks ago, he added. He also noted that the US helped transport parts, but not complete aircraft.
Defense Ministers of the United States and Poland meet
Speaking about Wednesday’s visit by Defense Secretary Mariusz Blaszczak and his meeting with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, the spokesman said the situation in Ukraine and military assistance would be one of the main topics of the talks. Lloyd Austin will also discuss the matter with the Czech defense minister on Thursday.
The official also said that there are no detailed negotiations at the moment on the future permanent deployment of US troops in Europe. “We are having preliminary discussions here in this building about what our long-term military deployment should be, and it would be foolish not to, given the changing security situation in Europe,” Kirby said. “But in terms of detailed negotiations with other countries about where the forces should be rotating and where they should be permanent, or what their strength should be, we have not yet come to that,” he added.
Help according to need
Asked why Ukraine’s military aid is coming “in pieces”, John Kirby noted that each package is tailored to the current needs of the Ukrainian armed forces and the nature of the fighting, as well as Ukraine’s ability to absorb it. He added that the US is in constant contact with Ukraine about the needs of Kyiv.
Asked about the situation in Russian-besieged Mariupol, where Ukrainian troops are defending at the Azovstal plant, a ministry official assessed that the fall of the city was not necessarily a foregone conclusion. – The Ukrainians clearly want to keep Mariupol (…) and are fighting bravely for it. I’m not going to speculate about how much longer they will last, and frankly, we are not ready to accept what some critics say that the collapse is inevitable,” he said.