“Consolation prize”: the U.S. will allocate $800 million to Ukraine for its own drone production

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the United States will allocate $800 million to Ukraine for the production of long-range drones.

This was reported by “The New York Times”.

According to the newspaper’s article, this decision “may serve as a kind of consolation prize for Zelensky,” who has not secured approval from Western partners for long-range strikes on Russian territory. The move “reflects a shift in Western tactics,” aiming to equip Ukraine with the capability to “fight the war with its own weapons and on its own terms.”

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with more than $61 billion in security assistance, but they have avoided directly funding weapons for Ukraine. Instead, their aid has been framed as supporting American companies and minimizing potential corruption. However, in recent months, the amount of aid to Ukraine has decreased, partly due to concerns about depleting Pentagon stockpiles. Western officials have recently praised Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian targets, which reportedly destroyed around 100,000 tons of ammunition in a few days.

It is also worth noting that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, where he announced a new military aid package worth $400 million.

Shortly before his visit, Austin stated that Ukraine should rely on its own long-range drones to strike Russia, rather than counting on expensive Western missiles.