Cancelling a contract with Russia state arms exporter Rosoboronexport on the delivery of military helicopters would put the U.S. program of sustaining security in Afghanistan at risk, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said during a briefing on Tuesday.
Seventeen senators said earlier in a statement sent to Pentagon head Leon Panetta that the U.S. Department of Defense should drop a $900-million contract with Rosoboronexport to supply Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan's forces, if Moscow continues to arm the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Foreign Policy Journal reported.
"We obviously share the intent, which is to persuade Russia to end its arms supply to Syria," Nuland said, adding: "This is something that the secretary, that the president, that at this podium we've been speaking about for weeks and months."
U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno pointed out last Thursday during a Senate hearing that "there are no other options to meet the operational needs of the Afghan security forces. They are familiar with these helicopters and we are told that the Mi-17 is absolutely necessary to maintain the viability of the Afghan security forces."
Members of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, said earlier on Tuesday they were perplexed by the statement.
"With regard to our own relatively modest contract with [Rosoboronexport], my understanding is that this is to allow for the maintenance and upkeep of some former Soviet helicopters that were donated or purchased for the Afghan military and form part of the backbone of the small flying squad that the Afghans themselves have these. And only that entity actually has the spare parts," Nuland said.
She also said that should the contract be cancelled, it would "seriously hurt" efforts in getting the Afghans into leading their own security.
"So our view, frankly, is that we need to, obviously, continue to make our views known and strengthen the international chorus - which we are trying to do - that everybody ought to be thinking hard about its relationship, but particularly its arming relationship, with the Assad regime, but at the same time, we also have a requirement to help the Afghans become increasingly self-sustaining in their ability to lead the security efforts at home," Nuland said.
The Mi-8 and its uprated successor, the Mi-17 were used in great numbers by the Soviet Union during its war in Afghanistan, and by its client regime there. Many were left in the country after the Soviet withdrawal and used by the forces of the Mujahideen groups and the Taliban.
The most widely produced helicopter in history, the Mi-8/17 has earned a reputation for reliability and strength and is popular with the forces of many third-world nations.
Britain has been involved in training aircrew for the Mi-17 for the nascent Afghanistan armed forces.
