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according to US officials familiar with the negotiations. At the same time, they did not say when exactly Ukraine will receive the missiles. Sources from the FT say that the Biden Administration decided to provide Ukraine with ATACMS even before Zelenskyy visited the US but decided not to announce it publicly. This was done to prevent tipping off the Russians and encouraging them to reposition their supply lines further from the front line. The US will send the missiles soon, in small quantities at first. They are a version of the missile that is armed with cluster munitions rather than a single warhead. During Zelenskyy's visit, Biden clarified that the first American Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine this week.
UK promises 'tens of thousands' artillery shells for Ukraine. The U.K. will provide Ukraine with tens of thousands more artillery shells in the coming months, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on Sept. 19 after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Ramstein, Germany.
New weapons and a coalition result from the 15th Ramstein. Germany will provide Ukraine with a new €400M military aid package. It will include high explosive ammunition, mortar rounds, rockets, armored vehicles, and demining systems. However, the provision of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine was not discussed during the conference. Denmark announced the transfer of 45 tanks. These are 30 Leopard 1 tanks and 15 modernized Soviet-made T-72EA tanks. US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said American M1 Abrams tanks will soon arrive in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Norwegian government plans to transfer about 50 NM199 tracked trucks to Ukraine. In addition, Estonia, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Poland will lead a coalition to provide Leopard tanks, F-16 pilot training, and information technology transfer. The Czech Republic agreed with Denmark and the Netherlands to supply military aid with their financial support. The first project will transfer 15 modernized T-72EA tanks to Ukraine. According to Austin, direct defense assistance from Ukraine's international partners is already worth more than $76B.
The Pentagon tightens control over military aid to Kyiv. The decision to create a new monitoring team comes as more and more Republicans are calling for increased oversight, although these calls are not unanimous, CNN writes. The inspector general of the US Department of Defense said that a high-ranking US representative began work in Ukraine at the end of August, and additional personnel are expected to arrive by the end of September. The staff, which will be based at the US Embassy in Kyiv, will monitor American aid, which has totaled more than $43.7B. According to Inspector General spokeswoman Megan Reed, this will be the first time inspection staff will be in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022. A report by the US Defense Department's inspector general warned that Washington's ability to control the billions of dollars in aid flowing to Ukraine faced "challenges" due to limited US presence. During the first six months of the war, the Office of Defense Cooperation in Kyiv failed to conduct the necessary end-use monitoring of military equipment provided to Ukraine.
Sweden to consider sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. The Swedish government will instruct the country's military to investigate the possibility of sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, the Swedish Radio's news service Ekot reported on September 12.
Denmark to send Ukraine $830 million military aid package. Denmark will
22 UKRAINE Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com