On April 28, the German Bundestag passed the so-called “Defending Peace and Freedom in Europe – Full Support” following the declaration that it would equip Ukraine with “Cheetah” self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery (7 people voted against it). Germany will give Ukraine heavy weaponry in response to Ukraine’s move. Prior to this, the German government had consistently refused to send Ukraine with heavy weaponry. It had even declined to offer Ukraine any military support prior to the war, angering allies.
Even if other nations are dramatically increasing their military help to Ukraine, the US government remains the primary source of military aid to Ukraine and coordinates Western countries’ military aid to Ukraine. It’s worth remembering that many of the weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine by the US government were made in the Soviet Union or Russia. The US administration has confirmed providing the Ukrainian Air Force with 21 unflyable MiG-29 fighter planes. Other accounts indicate that Ukraine received some Soviet/Russian heavy weaponry from the US’s fictitious enemy troops.
Since the start of the Afghan conflict, the US administration has been buying Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters for former Afghan government troops, claiming that they are reasonably inexpensive and that the former Afghan government forces are acquainted with them. Because Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the purchase was halted, and the UH-60A “Black Hawk,” which had been extended and modernized, was given to former Afghan government troops. The Russian government also objected to the Pentagon’s decision to stop buying Mi-17 helicopters at the time. After the old Afghan government fell apart, Afghan pilots flew the majority of the available Mi-17 helicopters to neighboring nations and finally to the United States.
Except for a couple that has been altered and turned over to the CIA’s secret services, the majority of these Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters owned by the US are sealed, and will now be handed back to Ukraine. Even after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would stop storming the Mariupol Azov steel plant and “not let a fly out,” the Ukrainian army can still use Mi-8/17 helicopters to effectively supply the defenders of the Azov Steel Plant and transport the wounded, according to reports.
It’s unclear how the US administration will respond to Russia’s objections, or whether the sale of Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine violates the deal. But one thing is certain: whether these planes that were flown to neighboring countries or the assets of the former Afghan government in the United States and other countries were controlled by the US government after the collapse of the Afghan government forces. The US government owns the weapons that were purchased for Afghan government forces, and the Afghan government forces merely have the right to use them.