Pentagon: America cannot track military equipment worth more than $1 billion to Ukraine

The Associated Press reported that Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the United States could not trace the fate of more than $1 billion in weapons and military equipment transferred to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion. This is evidenced by the results of an audit conducted by the Pentagon. That means 59% of the $1.7 billion in U.S. military equipment transferred to Ukraine remains "unaccounted for," the Defense Department inspector general's office said in a report. Biden administration officials stressed Thursday that there was nothing to indicate the weapons were stolen. But the audit undermines the administration's assurances that strict monitoring is preventing the misuse of U.S. military aid. “There is no credible evidence that advanced conventional weapons transferred from the United States were illicitly diverted from Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said. Noting that Russian disinformation suggests otherwise, Ryder added: “In fact, we are seeing Ukraine using these capabilities on the battlefield. We see them using them effectively.” The Pentagon inspector general's report said the Defense Department failed to accurately inventory the serial numbers of these defense items for Ukraine as required.

In late 2023, Russia carried out its largest air attack on Ukraine since the war began on February 24, 2022. The intensity and frequency of the attacks, accompanied by reports that the Ukrainian counter-offensive has stopped on the one hand and billions of Western backers in support of Kyiv have been stopped on the other, is considered a major turning point in the war. According to Politico, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on Tuesday: "It is hoped that the NATO-Ukraine meeting will urgently help the country's air defenses repel Russia's devastating air attacks." He demanded an increase in the shipment of Patriot and Nasam missile defense systems to Ukraine. The NATO-Ukraine Council will meet in Brussels this Wednesday in response to increased Russian attacks on Ukraine. Coinciding with Ukraine's need for Western air defense systems to combat heavy Russian air attacks, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that training of the country's personnel on the F-16 fighter jet continues. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said: “They have been attacked by a large number of ballistic missiles, including the Russian Kinzhal and Kha-22, and it should be understood that such missiles can only be shot down by advanced systems, especially the Patriot.” Ukraine previously announced that a ballistic missile fired from Russia's Bryansk region could reach Kyiv in less than two minutes.

Every week, Russia is said to launch dozens of drones in night attacks across Ukraine, targeting the country's energy facilities and military bases deep on the front lines. In a conversation with participants in the Society and Defense Forum in Sweden, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged the superiority of the Russian army in the air and emphasized that Ukrainian forces on the front line need air defense systems to prevent Russia from controlling the skies and attacking from the air to deny Ukraine's position . On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to the White House statement that Russia is using North Korean-made weapons to attack Ukraine: “I must note that the constant attacks on Russian cities and civilian targets, including the city Belgorod is carried out by missiles made in Germany, France, Italy and America." The day before the start of 2024, Ukrainian armed forces fired two cluster rockets and Czech-made MLRS rockets into the center of Belgorod. During this attack, 25 people were killed, including five children, more than a hundred people were injured, and more than 800 residential apartments were seriously damaged. The mood in Ukraine is said to be noticeably gloomy as there are fears that two aid packages from the US and EU worth $61 billion and $52 billion respectively have stalled due to political differences.