Former Secretary of Defense of the United States, Mark Esper, called for the immediate approval of the transfer of Western-made fighter jets and ATACMS ballistic missiles to Ukraine, so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) could launch a new offensive as soon as possible.
According to Voice of America, Esper made a corresponding statement during the presentation of his memoirs.
The former head of the Pentagon considers "correct" the policy of Western countries towards Ukraine. At the same time, Esper notes the slowness with which the West responds to Kyiv's requests for the provision of one or another weapon.
According to him, a new large-scale offensive of Russian troops is expected already in March this year.
"We are worried about the Russian offensive, and this is March, which is five weeks away. So, let's calculate the logistics - it takes weeks to deliver the tanks, we still need to train the crew, it also takes weeks... I'm afraid we won't be ready in time," Esper said.
He also called on Western countries to be proactive and supply Ukraine with ATACMS fighters and missiles. In his opinion, this will enable Ukraine to gain success on the battlefield.
Esper is sure that the provision of new weapons will not lead to an escalation between Russia and the West. He called on the administration of the U.S. president to act more boldly in the matter of supplying weapons to Ukraine.
As earlier reported, January was the month when Western countries decided to provide Ukraine with heavy armored vehicles. These are tanks of German, British, and American production.
It is worth noting that, in addition to tanks, Ukraine should soon receive American and British infantry fighting vehicles (IPVs), as well as modern air defense systems.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on January 26, Politico wrote that officials and diplomats of Western countries began discussing the possibility of providing Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets.
On January 25, after the announcement of the provision of American and German tanks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that now Ukraine is waiting for the delivery of aircraft and long-range missiles.
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