(The Epoch Times)—The State Department has greenlit the sale of Starlink satellite communication services and Patriot air defense system support to Ukraine, paving the way for deals worth nearly $330 million in total.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approvals for the potential sales on Aug. 29.
With the Starlink package, valued at $150 million, Ukraine would receive U.S. government and contractor support for engineering, technical, and logistics services, as well as other program-related assistance.
Ukraine first gained access to Starlink terminals in February 2022, shortly after its longtime conflict with Russia escalated into a full-scale war. The system has since become deeply integrated into Ukraine’s battlefield communications, including the control of drones.
According to Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the country has received more than 50,000 Starlink terminals from international partners and donors since the war began. Poland has been the largest supplier, providing roughly 29,500 terminals.
The second deal, estimated at $179.1 million, would provide Ukraine with services to maintain and upgrade the Patriot air defense systems it has relied heavily on to intercept Russian ballistic missiles aimed at its cities.
According to DSCA, the Patriot package includes classified and unclassified spare parts, software updates, system modifications, and other accessories, in addition to maintenance support and technical assistance.
The DSCA said both sales would advance U.S. foreign policy objectives by strengthening Ukraine’s ability to “conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust defense capability.”
It emphasized that the assistance would help Ukraine “meet current and future threats,” but would not alter the military balance in the region.
The approvals come as Washington deliberates on the future scope of U.S. support for Ukraine under potential peace agreements.
President Donald Trump, who has ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to guarantee its security in the event of an agreement to end the war, recently suggested that European nations could provide ground-based security guarantees, while the United States might contribute through air support capabilities.
“When it comes to security, [the Europeans] are willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably … by air,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Aug. 19, a day after he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders at the White House to discuss a path to peace.
Trump did not elaborate on the nature of the air support, which could take the form of missile defense systems or fighter jets enforcing a no-fly zone.
In 2022, during the early stages of the war, the Biden administration turned down Zelenskyy’s requests for a no-fly zone over Ukraine over the risk of triggering a direct confrontation between the United States and Russia.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later reaffirmed that U.S. air support remained “an option and a possibility,” while reiterating that no American troops will be sent to Ukraine under any peace deal.
“The president has definitively stated U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies,” Leavitt said at a news briefing.
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Author: Bill Pan
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