The West can test its weapons in Ukraine, the systems compete in efficiency, the country’s defence minister said. The Russian Foreign Ministry replied that ‘it has already been understood,’ and recalled the warnings about the ‘dirty bomb’ of Kyiv.

Oleksiy Reznikov

Arms supplies to Ukraine allow Western countries to test them in combat conditions. The situation is similar to a competition in efficiency between them, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with Politico. He pointed out that the Ukrainian army has eight different 155-millimeter artillery systems that it uses in combat.

Reznikov expressed optimism about the prospects for obtaining Abrams tanks and F-16, F-15 or Gripen fighters in the future. He pointed out that the refusal to supply these types of weapons does not mean that approval will never be received. 

As an example, he cited the situation with the Stinger portable anti-aircraft system: in November last year, the United States refused to transfer it to Ukraine, but a month before the entry of Russian troops, they approved the delivery of the complex ~ from NATO member Lithuania.

In the short term, the key issue should be the choice of the main tank for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which can be produced in the West, continued the head of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry. He acknowledged that Great Britain, Germany and France, possessing the necessary industries for this, would expect a corresponding political decision from the United States.

He added that Kyiv is waiting for a batch of Switchblade kamikaze drones from Washington, and noted that Tehran, which Ukraine and Western countries accuse of supplying drones to Russia, is still ‘winning’ in this confrontation.

Reznikov’s words about the possibility of testing Western weapons systems in Ukraine were appreciated by the Russian Foreign Ministry . ’We have already understood this and warned the world about the danger of the Kyiv regime activating a ‘dirty bomb,’ wrote Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the department.

Meanwhile, Russia and Iran deny that Moscow received drones from Tehran for use in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic assured of its determination not to supply weapons to the parties to the conflict. The Russian mission to the UN threatened to ‘review relations’ with the secretariat of the organization if an investigation into drones is launched. 

Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the UN, called the accusations fake. Why, for instance, would Russia import drones that it it is self-sufficient in? Concerns about the use of Iranian drones by Russia were expressed by the United States, the European Union and Israel. In particular, the Ukrainian authorities call the Geran-2 UAV a version of the Iranian Shahed-type combat UAV.

The Russian side criticizes the supply of weapons by Western countries to Ukraine, insisting that such a situation will not prevent Moscow from achieving its goals, but will only prolong the conflict.