The Pentagon denied the story of military scrap metal for Ukraine

The United States supplies Ukraine with mostly new military equipment, Pentagon spokeswoman Michel Baldance said Tuesday.

Thus, she denied the claims of the newspaper The Washington Postpublished the day before Article that Washington allegedly supplied Kyiv with weapons worth more than $260 million, mostly “second-rate rubbish.”

As the publication reported, Ukrainian special forces received from the US authorities military Humvee jeeps, which the American army used in combat operations back in the 1980-1990s. According to the newspaper, another Ukrainian unit was supplied with a model of body armor used in the mid-2000s. According to experts, the article said, the supply of “antiques” demonstrates Washington’s true attitude to the situation in Donbass and casts doubt on the Pentagon’s desire to really influence the outcome of the confrontation.

Michelle Baldanza noted that the United States on an ongoing basis provides its foreign partners around the world with “both new military equipment and equipment from existing stocks.” “The transfer of equipment from warehouses allows the United States to respond to urgent requirements as quickly as possible,” she explained.

The Pentagon “provides Ukraine with the best available equipment, taking into account available resources and the urgency of the necessary supplies,” the military department spokeswoman emphasized.

According to Baldansa, the vast majority of equipment sent to Kyiv was never used. At the same time, she confirmed that “due to the urgency of the situation,” previously used unarmored vehicles were transferred from warehouses because they “were available faster than equipment from other sources.” “According to the requirements of American law, all of these vehicles were in working order at the time of delivery to Ukraine,” the Pentagon spokeswoman added.

According to Michelle Baldanza, the Pentagon “will continue to closely monitor the situation and maintain constant contact with partners in Ukraine to determine the next steps in military cooperation.”

Forum previously reported that the United States has been supplying Kyiv with non-lethal weapons since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis.

To date, the United States has already allocated 265 millions of dollars for equipment and training of Ukrainian security forces and border services. Washington in particular has provided Kiev armored vehicles, counter-battery radar, night vision devices, body armor and medical equipment.

Last week, the defense budget, which provides for the possibility of supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons worth 300 million dollars, yet was accepted. After Obama rejected it, the document was corrected, but the line on helping Ukraine remained. The total defense expenditure amounted to 607 billion dollars, which is five billion less than in the first version.