The UK’s Ministry of Defence says Russian naval forces have established a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade.
Senate Armed Forces Committee member: US should supply Ukraine with military planes
US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Sunday that the US should supply Ukraine with military equipment, including planes, as it defends itself against Russia.
“Means of air defense, such as planes, drones, anti-aircraft, batteries and missiles, all means of air defense, should be considered. And my personal feeling is we should provide those planes because they are potentially very important to the Ukrainian defense,” Blumenthal, who sits on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on “Newsroom.”
He continued: “Not with American pilots, but with the training that Ukrainians need to fly those planes and make them effective as a deterrent as well as a force to protect the Ukrainian people against the air superiority of the Russian jet fighters.”
The Pentagon said last week the US was opposed to a Polish plan to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine through the US and a German air base “at this time.” CNN previously reported that NATO members have expressed concerns that providing fighter jets to Ukraine — even if done bilaterally — could be perceived by Russia as the alliance becoming directly involved in the war. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN earlier Sunday that the US is focused on providing other anti-air systems that could help Ukrainians make progress.