Daily Sabah
April 9, 2022

US lawmakers urge Biden to boost Ukraine’s drone capacity

A bipartisan group of American deputies [representatives] urged President Joe Biden to send more arms to Ukraine to help Kyiv in the face of Russia’s invasion, with emphasis on a combat-drone system made by Turkish defense firm Baykar.

The letter, dated April 4, emphasizes the need for Biden to help Ukraine defend from airborne threats, and says Biden should send additional Stinger missiles to the country, as well as provide it with long-range surface-to-air missile systems to thwart Russian rockets.

In the letter Anadolu Agency (AA) obtained, the lawmakers specifically call on Biden to provide Ukraine with “a greater range of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) capabilities,” including drones capable of flying longer distances. They pointed specifically to Turkey’s Bayraktar TB-2 systems, which Ukraine has deployed to success against Russian forces.

The TB-2 and similar drones will allow Ukraine “to better disrupt Russian supply lines and counter Russian siege tactics, especially in Eastern Ukraine,” the letter co-signed by 44 members of Congress said.

The letter was penned by congressmen Andy Kim, Jason Crow and Peter Meijer.

Co-signatories include members of the House Armed Services, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees, such as Peter Meijer, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, and Michael Turner, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

In addition to helping Ukraine defend from airborne threats, the lawmakers called on Biden to provide Ukraine with anti-ship missiles to target the Russian fleet….

Requests for anti-tank weapons, such as the already-provided Javelin, should be met with sufficient production from American arms firms, the lawmakers added.