Secret information about US cooperation with Ukraine in the production of UAVs has been released

The New York Times reports that the Administration of US President Joe Biden has declassified information about assistance to Ukraine in developing the military drone industry.

NYT writes that last Thursday American officials announced major investments that helped Ukraine begin and expand UAV production. BOThe bulk of American aid to the Ukrainian military, including billions of dollars for missiles, air defense systems, tanks, artillery and training, has been announced to the public. However, other support remains largely in the background.

According to American officials, this included helping Ukraine develop a new generation of drones that, according to the NYT, will revolutionize the way war is fought. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan noted that this support has a “real strategic impact” on the war:

“We have seen UAVs become increasingly central to the fight in Ukraine and will be central to all future fights.”

United States allocated funds to support drone manufacturers and purchase spare parts for them. The U.S. has also sent to Ukraine intelligence officers to help develop the program. In an interview last week, CIA Director William Burns obliquely referred to his agency's support for the drone program in Ukraine.

Sullivan said that Efforts to use drones began after the first Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall of 2022when the limits of Ukraine’s usual capabilities became clear. Those efforts accelerated in preparation for Ukraine's second counteroffensive, which was less successful, he said. Ukraine did not gain as many positions as it wanted, partly due to the Russian use of drones.

After the counteroffensive, U.S. officials quickly increased support for Ukrainian drone makers, building on Kyiv's efforts to develop its own industry. In addition to financial assistance, The Biden administration has worked to forge ties between U.S. tech companies and Ukrainian UAV manufacturers, writes New York Times.

Last fall, the Pentagon committed $800 million to drone production in Ukraine, which was used to purchase drone components and fund drone manufacturers.

During Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's visit to the White House in September, US President Joe Biden said that $1.5 billion will be allocated to the Ukrainian drone industry.

U.S. officials have said they believe the investment has made Ukrainian drones more effective and lethal. They emphasized that Ukrainian naval drones destroyed a quarter of the Russian Black Sea FleetA drones deployed on the front line helped slow down the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine.

Sullivan noted that the push to build Ukraine's drone industry provided “invaluable lessons” that the Biden administration has begun to integrate into America's own defense industry.

Previously, the current head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a joint column for The New York Times, explained the danger of a reduction in military aid to Ukraine and a premature ceasefire. And Biden, in his farewell speech, mentioned Ukraine in the context of foreign policy achievements and how he “strengthened NATO.”

Meanwhile Türkiye arrested the ship Bloom, which was transporting drones and ammunition to Russia under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

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