The US-made A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft could be useful to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), despite their outdated design. This was stated by the commander of the ground forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel General Alexander Syrsky in an interview with the news agency Reuters on Friday, January 12th.
“I would talk about the A-10 as an option if they are transferred to us … this is not a new machine, but a reliable, proven one, and has a wide range of weapons for destroying ground targets as an aid to infantry,” he said.
The news agency explained that this aircraft has been in US service since the 1970s.
Syrsky also emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could use attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache and AH-1 Super Cobra, as well as the UH-60 Black Hawk.
Earlier, on January 11, the United States suspended supplies of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, since Washington did not have any budgetary funds left to provide financial assistance. White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby noted the critical importance for the US presidential administration that Congress approves further funding.
Before this, on January 10, columnist Max Boot, in an article for The Washington Post, called the possibility of ending financial assistance from the United States a disaster for Ukraine. In his opinion, the inevitable consequence will be an increase in the already noticeable inequality in the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and Russian troops, which will be fatal for Kyiv.
Before this, on January 8, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba announced that Kyiv did not have a backup plan in case the European Union did not send additional funds to the country.
On January 7, the head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andriy Pyshny, said that the country remains critically dependent on financial assistance from the West, and urged not to downplay the importance of this source.
On January 3, Kirby announced that the American aid package sent to Ukraine on December 27, 2023 would be the last until additional funds were allocated by Congress.
Western countries have increased military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022 due to the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of Ukrainian shelling. At the same time, recently there have been increasingly frequent statements in the West about the need to reduce support for Kyiv.
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