The United States has detailed the composition of the new military aid package, part of the first billion euros of equipment should reach Ukrainian soil very soon. At the same time, a Ukrainian official revealed on Wednesday April 24 that long-range ATACMS missiles had already been delivered to Ukraine in secret, at the request of Joe Biden. Aid received with open arms by kyiv, which for its part announced it would stop the issuance of passports to Ukrainians aged 25 to 60 abroad, with the aim of bringing them home to fight.
Information to remember
⇒ Ukraine already received American long-range missiles in April.
⇒ kyiv will no longer issue identity passports to Ukrainian men abroad.
⇒ 16 Ukrainian children returned by Russia.
The United States has already sent long-range ATACMS missiles
The United States discreetly sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine “this month”, even before the adoption of new aid to kyiv by the American Congress on Tuesday. This shipment was made “at the direct request of President” Joe Biden in February, according to the State Department. Their inclusion in the latest aid package sent since March 12 was not announced at that time “in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at its request.”
Ukraine used American ATACMS missiles against Russia for the first time in October, but those sent recently have a longer range, up to 300 kilometers away.
The composition of the US military aid package
On Wednesday, Joe Biden promulgated a vast assistance plan for Ukraine to the tune of $61 billion. A first massive shipment of arms, worth a billion dollars, was promised, part of which was to be delivered “within the hours” that followed last night.
The American government has since clarified the composition of the package: the Ukrainians will receive missiles for its anti-aircraft defense, ammunition for the Himars multiple rocket launcher systems, shells, armored vehicles, and even anti-tank weapons, as well as than other long-range ATACMS missiles.
Jake Sullivan considered that it was “adequate” to provide these systems that the Americans have long refused to send to Ukraine, and judged that Russia had no reason to see it as a provocation, since it was using it -even long-range missiles supplied by North Korea.
Ammunition “rather than our boys”
The United States is kyiv’s main military supporter, but Congress had not passed a major package for its ally in nearly a year and a half – mainly due to partisan wrangling.
The conservative boss of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, blocked the text for a long time. He ended up supporting the resumption of military and economic aid, with this justification: “I would rather send munitions to Ukraine than send our boys to fight.”
Ukraine will no longer issue passports abroad to young men
Ukraine, which is seeking to bring back its citizens of fighting age, will no longer issue passports abroad to men aged 18 to 60, according to a text published by the government on Wednesday. They could therefore only obtain them in Ukraine, which could theoretically push Ukrainians to return to the country.
The country is in dire need of soldiers, and kyiv already bans men of fighting age from traveling abroad with few exceptions. According to media estimates, tens of thousands of men have fled the country illegally to avoid going to the front. The authorities recently adopted a law on mobilization aimed at toughening punishments for recalcitrants and also lowered the age of mobilization from 27 to 25 years.
16 Ukrainian children returning from Russia
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that sixteen Ukrainian children who had been “forcibly transferred to Russia” had been able to “reunite their families” through the mediation of Qatar, where the children and their families are currently located.
Russia, through the Russian Commissioner for Children Maria Lvova-Belova, announced earlier a higher exchange between Moscow and kyiv: the return of 48 children would have been negotiated, of which 29 would return to Ukraine in the ‘immediate. Information not confirmed by Ukraine which indicates that “Russian and Ukrainian officials “have no direct contact on this subject”.
Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova are both under arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for the alleged “deportation” of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. Ukraine estimates that 20,000 Ukrainian minors have been deported to Russia in two years, although the total could be much higher, as this figure only concerns officially identified children. According to kyiv, just under 400 of them have so far been repatriated.