Iran will deliver “hundreds of drones” to Russia, which is stalling in the face of resistance from the Ukrainian army in the east of the country, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday. .
• Read also: The war “might last”, we must “continue to support Ukraine”
• Read also: Canadian ambassador summoned to Kyiv following ‘unacceptable’ turbine transfer
• Read also: Russian official assassinated in Kharkiv region
“Our intelligence indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to deliver to Russia up to several hundred drones, including combat aircraft, in a very short time,” he explained during a press briefing to Washington.
This information “also indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces in the use of these drones and the first training sessions were to begin at the beginning of July”, he added, stressing that he did not know if drones had already been delivered by Tehran.
Iranian aircraft have already been used by Houthi rebels in Yemen “to attack Saudi Arabia”, Sullivan said.
Drones have played an important role since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, for reconnaissance operations, missile launches or bomb drops.
The invasion of Ukraine has “a huge cost” for Moscow which has problems maintaining its armament as Russian forces nibble away in the east of the country, he explained.
The United States last week announced $400 million in new military aid to Ukraine, including Himars multiple rocket launchers and sniper shells. Washington has already provided $6.9 billion in military assistance to kyiv since the start of the invasion.
According to Joe Biden’s adviser, “Russia has already largely missed its objectives in Ukraine” which were to “take the capital kyiv, make Ukraine disappear as a country, eliminate Ukrainian identity and integrate Ukraine into the Russia”.
“The fundamental objective of our strategy is to put the Ukrainians in as strong a position as possible on the battlefield so that they are in a position of strength at the table in these negotiations when diplomacy arrives,” Sullivan explained. .
