President Joe Biden's administration will begin shifting supply of additional batches of air-defense missiles to Ukraine at the cost of other countries that are waiting for the US to fulfill their orders.
According to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Ukrainian troops are "in desperate need of additional air defense capabilities" in the midst of a particularly intense Russian air and missile attack campaign.
“We have continued to dig deep and provide Ukraine with a variety of air defense systems and interceptor missiles from our own stockpiles, including those of the Patriot system, NASAMs, and of course, the Hawks [air-defense missiles],” he said during a June 20 press call.
“Many of our allies and partners have stepped up in historic ways as well. But obviously, more is needed and it’s needed now.”
In light of the increased Russian strikes, Mr. Kirby stated that the US administration will prioritize supplies of air defense missiles for Ukraine over those for other nations that have bought the same weapons and are awaiting delivery.
“The United States firmly believes that this is the best course of action right now to support Ukraine while still ensuring other partners receive the air defense missiles and capabilities that they’ve committed to purchase, again, on a delayed timeline,” he said.
Mr. Kirby said the U.S. government expects to be able to deliver new batches of Patriot missiles to Ukraine “over the coming weeks” and “certainly before the end of the summer.”
He stated that the focus would continue on boosting Ukraine's air defense for the next year and a half.
“We’ll provide [Ukraine] enough capabilities over the rest of this fiscal year. And of course, all next fiscal year. So about 16 months will be the focus of the timeframe to fill out Ukraine’s inventory, and then after that the countries that have been asked to delay will start to get their deliveries,” Mr. Kirby said.
He assured that the reprioritization of air defense missiles for Ukraine would have no impact on US supply of comparable systems to Israel, which is dealing with rocket strikes from Hamas and Hezbollah, or Taiwan, which is dealing with long-standing problems with neighboring China.
The White House official stated that the US government has told other nations affected by the reprioritization of military assistance, and that they have generally understood and, in many cases, "fully supportive" of the decision.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has increasingly asked his Western allies for assistance in blunting long-range strikes in recent weeks, as Russian forces have appeared to fire long-range weapons within the relative safety of their borders, hitting targets inside Ukrainian territory.
The Biden administration has allowed Kyiv's military permission to deploy US-donated weaponry to intercept long-range weapons and kill other Russian targets inside Russia's borders before striking Ukraine.
Nonetheless, the Zelenskyy government has indicated a need for extra resources to prevent Russian weaponry from crossing Ukrainian airspace.
Last week, President Biden and Mr. Zelenskyy signed a 10-year bilateral security pact that includes a promise from the United States to assist Ukraine in maintaining its air defenses and Patriot missile systems, among other things.
While Ukraine receives military help from the United States and other Western allies, Russia looks to be focusing on building its own foreign security relationships to maintain its conflict in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this week that the People's Republic of China has been the primary backer of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
The US administration believes Iran and North Korea have provided Russia with additional weapons, including missiles, explosive-laden one-way attack drones, and rounds of ammunition.
During the press call, Mr. Kirby stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin's journey to North Korea this week to sign a new bilateral partnership pact demonstrates his desperation and fear of global isolation.
“[Russia’s] reaching out to North Korea for missiles … they’re still getting drones from Iran. They don’t have a lot of friends in the world. And they’re trying to do everything they can to pull on the strings of the friends that they do have,” Mr. Kirby said.
“Russia is absolutely isolated on the world stage.”
