The source said that the United States has pumped billions of dollars’ worth of weapons into Ukraine since the launch of Russian operations last February, which imposed burdens on the ability of the US administration and defense industries to keep up with “the continuous demand to arm Kyiv in a conflict that is not expected to end soon.”
He added that the flow of US weapons to Ukraine “contradicts America’s long-term strategy to arm Taiwan, with the aim of helping it defend itself against any possible military action from China.”
And US military officials said, two years ago, that Beijing might “prepare to annex Taiwan by force by 2026,” which prompted the US administration to support this island militarily.
The Wall Street Journal reported that many of the US weapons that were expected to arrive in Taiwan “did not arrive.”
“The transfer of existing stockpiles of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine and supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant delays in the delivery of weapons already approved for sale to Taiwan, undermining the island’s readiness,” the Congress revealed, in a recent report.
A spokeswoman for the Taiwan government in Washington declined to comment on US arms sales, but officials from the island had previously expressed concern about the delay.
For their part, US officials acknowledged the delay in the delivery of weapons to Taiwan, but said that “these purchases are all new and off the production line.”
“We continue to work diligently to provide weapons to Taiwan as quickly as possible, while also making sure that Ukraine can defend itself against Russian aggression,” Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement.
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