FALCON POWERS – The White House announced on Thursday that the United States will give “priority” to delivering air defense systems to Ukraine, and will send the weapons that Kiev desperately needs before other countries that have made requests.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, “We will rearrange the priority of these export deliveries so that those missiles that are coming off the production line now go directly to Ukraine,” especially Patriot and NASAMS missiles.
He indicated that “the delivery of these missiles to other countries on the waiting list will have to be postponed.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the X platform, saying: “I am deeply grateful to US President Joe Biden for giving Ukraine priority in the delivery of the air defense systems we desperately need to respond to Russian attacks.”
Kirby confirmed that arms shipments to Taiwan, which fears a possible Chinese invasion, and Israel, which suffered a major Iranian missile and drone attack earlier this year and is engaged in a war against Hamas, will not be affected by the decision.
The United States is a major military supporter of Ukraine, having allocated more than $51 billion in weapons, ammunition, and other security assistance since Russia launched its military operation in February 2022.
