Newsweek: The APU will not be able to use the Patriot air defense system before spring Ukraine is suffering huge losses and is in great danger, says American General Barry McCaffrey.
He offered to transfer the main US combat tanks - M1 Abrams, as well as ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles to the AFU in order to "try to influence the balance of power." In his opinion, one Patriot air defense system battery, which the United States promised to deliver to Kiev, will not change the situation "on the ground."
The Ukrainian military has suffered enormous losses and is in a vulnerable position - this statement was made by American General Barry McCaffrey on Saturday, December 24.
"Ukraine is suffering huge losses and is in great danger," he said in an interview with MSNBC .
According to his estimates, one battery of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, which the United States promised to deliver to Kiev, will not change the situation "on the ground" because of the "overwhelming superiority of the Russian army in aviation and artillery."
On December 22, Politico reported that the Pentagon plans to train the Armed Forces of Ukraine to work with the Patriot air defense system at a military base in the United States. The training takes several months. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "the American Patriot air defense system is quite an old system, but such deliveries to Kiev will only prolong the conflict."
The White House announced the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Kiev on December 21. During his visit to the United States, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted that he was satisfied with the results of negotiations with American leader Joseph Biden.
According to retired US General Mark Hertling, Ukraine will need months of preparation before the country can use the Patriot air defense system. In addition, the complex will not be able to protect the entire territory of the country, the publication says.
"These complexes are not assembled and do not move around the battlefield. They are installed where they protect the most strategic object, for example, a city such as Kiev. If someone thinks that this complex will be scattered along the 805-kilometer border between Ukraine and Russia, then he simply does not know how this SAM works," Hertling explained.
Assistance to Ukraine
Since the beginning of 2021, only the United States has provided $18.2 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, Lenta estimates.ru". Dozens of countries are sending equipment, equipment, weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
After the start of the special military operation, the volume of aid increased, and the list of supplied weapons expanded. In April, US President Joe Biden ordered a new batch of military aid to be sent to Ukraine. It includes M113 armored personnel carriers, towed M777 155 mm howitzers, AN\TPQ-36 counter-battery radar stations, as well as Switchblade kamikaze drones.
Later, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that Phoenix Ghost barrage ammunition would be delivered to Ukraine. In addition, the United States sent Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine, which were originally ordered for Afghanistan. It was also reported about the supply of Soviet S-300, Strela and Osa air defense systems received from NATO countries.
We should add that during today's briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defense, it was reported, in particular, that almost 400 anti-aircraft missile systems were destroyed by Russian troops during the entire military operation in Ukraine.
Grigory Plakuchev
