Ukrainian military in Kyiv. File photoLONDON, Apr 3 The UK authorities intend to send weapons to Ukraine, including anti-ship missiles loitering ammunition to protect Odessa in the event of an attack on the city by Russian armed forces, the Times writes, citing sources in British government.
"The Ukrainians asked for help with lethal weapons for the Black Sea region. We have a list of what they need. We're trying to provide that as much as we can,» a senior government official told the publication. According to him, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in contrast to his counterparts in Germany and France, who refrain from sending military aid until hostilities actually begin in Odessa, said that & # 34; (Vladimir) Zelensky will receive everything what it asks for, if any" from Britain.
According to the publication, we are talking about Harpoons anti-ship missiles, which are used by the British Royal Navy, missiles with sensors that can target ships stationed off the coast of Ukraine, as well as anti-battery weapons to destroy incoming artillery shells. called loitering ammunition like the Switchblade kamikaze drones, which were transferred to Kiev by the United States,» the newspaper writes. According to the source, earlier Britain planned to send Brimstone missiles for installation on Ukrainian ships, but now this issue is not on the agenda, and London, «rather, will facilitate the supply of anti-ship missiles from other Western partners.» Earlier, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that the United Kingdom and its allies, following the results of the donor conference, agreed to supply Ukraine with more lethal weapons. According to him, in some cases these will be deliveries from their stocks, and in others, countries will allocate money to make it possible to buy lethal weapons where possible.
The Republican Party of the United States opposed assistance to UkraineRussian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine by the West is irresponsible, its uncontrolled distribution could pose a threat to European states. The supply of weapons by the West to Ukraine is a mistake, it increases the casualties, but will not affect the outcome of the operation, said Sergey Rudskoy, head of the main operational department of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» To this end, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine» bloody crimes against civilians» of Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, on March 25, they completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass. Britons angered by Zelensky's words about Biden