Senators from both parties are pressuring the Biden administration to give Ukraine MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that can transport Hellfire missiles and help its forces against Russia, as reported first by DefenseNews.
Letter to Pentagon
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday, 16 Senate Republicans and Democrats-many of whom are members of the Armed Services Committee-objected to "press reporting" that the Pentagon had decided against sending the drones to Kyiv and demanded additional details.
The senators' letter requests an explanation from Secretary of Defense Austin by November 30 as to why the Pentagon deemed the drone inappropriate for the conflict in Ukraine.
The letter was also signed by Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, the committee's top Republican.
The drones were manufactured by General Atomics, which can carry up to four Hellfire missiles and has a 29,000-foot service ceiling, as per DefenseNews.
The letter further stated that "weapon system configurations for the MQ-1C, specifically AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, have been reviewed and exported to over 25 U.S. partners."
On Tuesday morning, Mikhail Razvozhaev, a Russian-installed governor in Crimea, reported that two drones had been shot down in Sevastopol, where Russian air weapons had been deployed.
Pentagon officials have been considering Ukraine's request for the system since April, but discussions have become stuck over worries about the security of the equipment and its viability in the raging air war in Ukraine.
In a letter sent in September, a bipartisan group of 17 House members urged Austin to quicken the Defense Department's examination of a prospective transfer, which had been ongoing for months.
The Defense Department decided against transferring the Gray Eagle drones, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, citing worries that Moscow may ratchet up tensions with NATO if it knew they might attack Russian soil.
The Pentagon is yet to deliver its final decision on the matter.
The senators gave Austin until November 30 to reply. In the letter, he is also tasked with outlining the operational benefits Gray Eagle drones would bring to Ukraine, identifying the likelihood of escalating hostilities with Russia, and explaining how the Pentagon might reduce the dangers associated with delivering the technology.
Plea for Assistance
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, made a plea for further assistance on Tuesday, accusing Russia of targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure while using cold weather as a "weapon of mass destruction," as per a report by Aljazeera.
Zelenskyy encouraged the Association of French Mayors to supply generators, assistance with demining operations, and resources for Ukraine's emergency services and medical personnel to get through the winter amid the conflict.
According to Zelenskyy, Russian attacks have damaged half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, rendering millions of people without access to water and electricity as winter sets in the country.
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Written by Jace Dela Cruz
