[1/4] US Bradley fighting vehicles that will be deployed in Latvia for NATO’s Operation Atlantic Resolve wait to be unloaded in Garkalne, Latvia February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo
Hebron, Kentucky, January 4 (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine is being considered to help the country fight against Russian aggression.
“Yes,” Biden said when asked if the option was on the table.
The U.S. Army has been using the heavy-duty armored vehicle to transport troops on the battlefield since the mid-1980s.
The army has thousands of Bradleys, which can give the Ukrainians more firepower on the battlefield. Biden’s action, however, did not lead to the sending of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which the citizens of Ukraine are looking for.
It is not clear how many Bradleys will go to Ukraine, but the United States is planning a program of arms assistance that will be announced in the coming days.
At the end of last month, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the US Congress that the tens of thousands of dollars that it approved to help it fight against the Russian occupation are not aid, but investments in security. in the world.
The United States sent nearly $21.3 billion in security aid to Kyiv as Europe’s largest land conflict since 1945 erupted, killing tens of thousands.
The United States has sent more weapons to Ukraine. Initially, Raytheon Technologies Corp’s Stinger shoulder-fired missiles, as well as Javelin missiles, were used to defeat the Russian advance. The Javelins are made by a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon.
As the war continues and Ukraine’s needs change, complex weapons systems, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) are deployed to Kyiv. .
Recently, the United States has promised to send the Patriot missile system to counter Russian missile attacks. Training and other strategies still need to be worked on.
The military is working to retire the Bradley cruiser, and is working with industry to build a replacement as it looks to upgrade.
Reporting by Steve Holland and Mike Stone; Kanishka Singh wrote; Edited by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis
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