Ukraine’s army puts new American weapons to good use, says Pentagon

HIMARS are already working in Ukraine
HIMARS are already working in Ukraine

Detsch writes, citing a senior Pentagon official, that Ukraine has made it "very hard" for Russia to conduct operations on Snake Island in the Black Sea by using Harpoon missiles to attack resupply ships.

"Russia's withdrawal from Snake Island will make it easier for Ukraine to defend Odesa," the American official reportedly said.

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Detsch added that according to the Pentagon, the recent attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine emphasizes the "reckless fashion" of Russian attacks.

Moreover, Detsch noted that the US will provide air defense systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to transition Ukraine from Soviet weapons to new systems.

"The US focused on getting 155-mm artillery rounds for howitzers and GMLRs rounds to Ukraine," the journalist quoted a Pentagon official as saying.

At the beginning of June, Washington announced that it would send four HIMARS surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine soon to get more HIMARS weapons, second stage of training of Ukrainian troops starts

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov confirmed on June 23 that the first U.S. systems had already arrived in Ukraine. On the same day, the DoD announced another aid package for Kyiv, which, according to the media, includes an additional four systems.

Previously, CNN reported that Ukraine would receive all HIMARS it is slated to receive from the U.S. by mid-July.

Read also: Pentagon official praises Ukrainian army's performance in battle for Severodonetsk