Washington. December 7. INTERFAX - The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexey Reznikov in November appealed to the head of the Pentagon Lloyd Austin with a request in case of an alleged possible "invasion of Russia" to expand the supply of weapons to Kiev, Foreign Policy reported.
The list also included weapons systems that were planned to be delivered to Afghanistan, the magazine notes.
"The detailed list of weapons, which was first presented by Reznikov to Austin in mid-November, and which was not previously reported in detail, included means for air, naval defense and electronic warfare," the publication reports, citing an unnamed representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
According to him, Kiev, in particular, wants to receive part of the American military equipment intended for Afghanistan before the Taliban movement came to power there (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation).
Ukraine is interested, in particular, in receiving US-owned Mi-17 helicopters and ammunition, which were originally planned to be sent to the Afghan army, the source said.
Meanwhile, the newspaper notes, the administration of President Joe Biden is considering a number of steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine, taking into account the "possible Russian invasion", including the supply of funds not included in the "Reznikov list".
According to the magazine, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his team are trying to shift the focus of attention to the growing threat from China, and also do not want to irritate and provoke Moscow by "rattling weapons."
The topic of Biden's policy towards Ukraine "has become the center of fierce political battles in the American Congress," Foreign Policy notes. According to him, senior Republicans in the Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate sent Biden a letter expressing concern about the situation around Ukraine.
