Biden administration discloses secret data on assistance to Ukraine in drone production – media
The administration of US President Joe Biden has disclosed new data on its assistance to Ukraine, revealing previously secret support for the country’s military drone industry.
As reported by The New York Times, US officials said on 16 January that they had made major investments that helped Ukraine start up and expand drone production.
Much of the US's aid to Ukraine's military, including billions of dollars for missiles, air defence systems, tanks, artillery and training, has been announced to the public. But other support has largely remained in the shadows.
The US officials noted that the support included helping Ukraine develop a new generation of drones, which US officials say are revolutionising the way warfare is conducted.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the support has had a real strategic impact on the war.
"We saw how UAVs were becoming increasingly central to the fight in Ukraine and will be central to all future fights," Sullivan said.
The United States provided funds to support drone manufacturers and purchase spare parts. People familiar with the situation stressed that the United States had also sent intelligence officers to Ukraine to help develop the programme.
In an interview earlier this week, CIA Director William Burns indirectly mentioned his agency's support for the drone programme in Ukraine.
Sullivan said that drone efforts began after the first Ukrainian counteroffensive in the autumn of 2022 when the limits of Ukraine's traditional capabilities became clear.
Sullivan noted that these efforts accelerated in preparation for Ukraine's second counteroffensive, which was less successful. Ukraine did not gain as much ground as it wanted, partly because of Russia's use of UAVs.
After the counteroffensive, US officials said they had quickly increased support for Ukrainian drone manufacturers, building on Kyiv's efforts to develop its own industry.
In addition to financial assistance, the Biden administration worked to establish links between US technology companies and Ukrainian drone manufacturers.
Last autumn, the Pentagon allocated US$800 million for drone production in Ukraine which was used to purchase drone components and finance drone manufacturers.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House in September 2024, President Biden said another US$1.5 billion would be directed to Ukraine's drone industry.
US officials said on 16 January that they believe the investment had made Ukraine's drones more effective and deadly.
They noted that Ukrainian naval drones had destroyed a quarter of Russia's Black Sea Fleet and that drones deployed on the front lines had helped slow Russia's advance in Ukraine’s east.
Sullivan said that the drive to build Ukraine's drone industry had provided invaluable lessons that the Biden administration had begun to integrate into the USA’s own defence industry.
Current Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote a joint op-ed for The New York Times describing the dangers of cutting military aid to Ukraine and prematurely ending the war.
In his farewell speech, President Joe Biden mentioned Ukraine in the context of his foreign policy achievements and how he had "strengthened NATO".