The US State Department said yesterday that it had given the green light for an emergency $138 million in foreign military sales to Ukraine to provide repairs and spare parts for Kiev’s HAWK air defense systems.
In the statement, it was noted that the maintenance of the HAWK defense system will increase the ability of the Ukrainian people to defend themselves and “protect their national infrastructure”, and said, “There is an urgent need for Ukraine to increase its defense capacity against Russian aggression.”
In a speech to Congress, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that if the US does not support Ukraine, the country could fall into Russian hands.
Austin added that the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine would also have implications for US national security.
HAWK is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system that provides air defense, one of Ukraine’s most important security needs.
