Pentagon plans to provide military assistance to Ukraine through 2027

According to RIA Novosti on January 8, the Pentagon said that the Contact Group on Support to Ukraine at its meeting scheduled for January 9 will approve the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 2027.

“The leaders of this contact group will have to approve a roadmap for developing Ukraine’s needs and goals in the fields of air force, armored vehicles, artillery, mine clearance, unmanned aerial vehicles, integrated aircraft, missile defense, information technology and maritime security until 2027,” a statement on the US Department of Defense website said.

Washington hopes these roadmaps will help donors plan support for Kiev.

The Pentagon added that the contact group will hold a meeting on January 9, which will be the last meeting of current US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. At the same time, the US Department of Defense expressed hope for the continuation of the contact group's work to meet Kiev's needs after the change of power and the return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House.

Previously, on January 4, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that Washington had transferred weapons to Kiev months before the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. The US Secretary of State also affirmed that the weapons provided by the US to Ukraine have proven useful in stopping Russia's advance towards the capital Kiev.

Russia believes that supplying weapons to Ukraine hinders the settlement, directly draws NATO countries into the conflict and is "playing with fire". The Kremlin stated that pumping weapons from the West to Ukraine does not contribute to the negotiations and will have a negative impact.