Kyiv [Ukraine], April 26: The Kyiv Independent page on April 25 quoted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as declaring that the country's forces "will do everything to make up for the 6 months that have passed in controversy and suspicion", after the US officially finalized the aid package recently. 61 billion USD. Mr. Zelensky said the US is trying to send a new military aid package as soon as possible, to provide Ukrainian forces with army tactical missile systems (ATACMS), artillery, anti-tank weapons, and ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), air defense systems and other equipment.
ATACMS focus
After the US announced the new aid package, many media agencies quoted experts' comments and forecasts about ATACMS. Last year, the US sent a version of the ATACMS missile with a range of 165 km to Ukraine, but providing a version with a range of 300 km has been an issue discussed by the White House for many months.
Reuters on April 25 quoted US officials as revealing that the country sent the long-range version of ATACMS to Ukraine in the $300 million military aid package signed by President Biden on March 12 and will also be included in the new aid package. An unnamed US official said that the long-range missile version was first used by Ukraine in the early morning of April 17, targeting a Russian airport in Crimea, 165 km from the front line, and a second time targeting Russian forces. in southeastern Ukraine.
Commenting on upcoming developments in Ukraine, British Army Chief of Staff Tony Radakin said that Ukraine could take advantage of the flow of Western weapons to attack Russia further. Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that Ukraine is committed to only using ATACMS within its own territory, not to attack Russian territory. On the other hand, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW-USA) commented that many months of delaying US military aid may have given Russian forces enough time to reduce the effectiveness of this missile.
TASS quoted Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov as saying that the US aid package "will not be able to save Mr. Zelensky", and also announced that Ukraine's new weapons will be destroyed and Russia will achieve the campaign's goals. . Meanwhile, senior Russian Defense Ministry official Apty Alaudinov predicted that Ukraine would use new missiles to attack the Crimea bridge.
Regarding the overall impact, analysts say that the new US aid package is unlikely to solve Ukraine's other problem, the shortage of soldiers. ISW believes that the Russian military is trying to exploit Ukraine's manpower shortage before US aid arrives. The Telegraph reported on April 25 that Russia further controlled the village of Ocheretyne northwest of Avdiivka (Donetsk region), taking advantage of Ukraine's rotation, leaving part of the front line unprotected. Ukraine has not commented on the above information.
Ukraine is looking for solutions to increase the number of young people joining the army, including the decision to stop providing consular services to male citizens of military age from April 23 to May 18, in order to force these people to return home. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said he would help Ukraine repatriate this group of young people.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper