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Sale of US combat drones to Ukraine hits roadblock – Reuters — Analysis

According to reports, the Pentagon fears that Russians could have access to sophisticated military tech

According to Reuters, the White House put on hold plans to sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat helicopters to Kiev because of Russian interference, according to sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the sale was initially approved by the White House, but later flagged by the Pentagon’s Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA), which is tasked with keeping high-value technology out of enemy hands.

The officials are said to be concerned that the drone’s radar and surveillance equipment could be captured by the Russians. Reuters reported that the issue was not previously discussed but brought up at a Pentagon meeting last week.

Sources claim that radar and sensors can now be used to replace them. “less sophisticated”The sale must go through in order to close, which could mean that it can take many months.

The US is trying to use Ukraine as a test lab for its drones, a move Russia is unlikely to forget

The Gray Eagle is the US Army’s newer version of the MQ-1 Predator attack drone, which has been widely used for airstrikes in the Middle East. Gray Eagles can be equipped with Hellfire missiles, just like the Predator.

The plan to sell the property was initially reported in June but it has never been confirmed by the US.

This delay report comes while Ukraine is pushing the West for a wider and faster delivery of weapons in order to stop the Russian offensive.

“If you think we should lose, just tell us directly: ‘We want you to lose.’ Then we will understand why you give us weapons at this level,”Mikhail Podoliak is a consultant to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. French and German protocols were created to grant the regions that had broken away special status in the Ukrainian government.

In recent years, the Kremlin demands that Ukraine declares itself neutral in order to be able to join NATO. Kiev maintains that Russia’s offensive was not provoked and denies claims it planned to seize the two republics.

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