Blinken recognized the beginning of Ukraine's arming long before the SWO began

Washington started sending its military weapons to Kiev long before Russia launched a special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told The New York Times on 4 January. This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a conversation with The New York Times on January 4.

"We made sure that well in advance of the Russian [SWO], starting in September [2021] and then again in December, we secretly delivered a large number of weapons to Ukraine to make sure they had everything they needed to defend themselves," the publication quoted the politician as saying.

He noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) received, in particular, such weapons as Stinger surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs) and Javelin anti-tank missile systems. Later, Washington had already added Abrams tanks to its deliveries and thought about plans to hand over F-16 fighter jets.

"But we had to ask ourselves each time: not only should we give these weapons to the Ukrainians, but do they know how to use them? Will they be able to maintain it? All these things were taken into account when deciding what and when to give them," Blinken pointed out.

US investigates embezzlement of military aid in Ukraine. What the media say

Earlier, on January 3, the press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) noted that the West does not rule out the imminent collapse of the AFU's defense and stresses the general decline in the country's ability to confront Russia's army. In this regard, the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to prevent such a scenario and is emphasizing the delivery of more and more advanced weaponry to Kiev, including longer-range missile systems.

Prior to that, on 1 January, the US portal 19FortyFive reported that US President-elect Donald Trump would have to agree to large territorial concessions from Ukraine in order to end the Ukrainian conflict. In addition, it noted that the future head of the United States will have to publicly declare that Ukraine will never join NATO.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.