Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley made an unannounced visit to an undisclosed airfield near the border with Ukraine last week, a senior Pentagon official has told CNN.
The airfield was said to have been turned into a major hub for the shipment of NATO weaponry into Ukraine, with Milley said to have toured the facility, acquainted himself with the weapons transfer operation and met with troops. The country where the base is situated was not specified.
The outlet’s source said the shipments have not yet been targeted by the Russian military upon entering Ukraine, but expressed fears that this may happen in future.
US European Command (EUCOM) is responsible for coordinating the weapons transfers, and is working with other countries including the UK “to ensure that we are using our resources to maximum efficiency to support the Ukrainians in an organized way,” a second source said.
The Biden administration has already delivered about $240 million of its promised $350 million in additional military equipment to Ukraine, with the rest expected to arrive in the coming days or weeks at the latest. The European Union promised to commit nearly 500 million euros for its own military aid package.
In all, 14 countries have now sent or committed to send arms to the Eastern European country.
US and NATO military shipments to Ukraine have included Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger man-portable air defence systems, Turkish Bayraktar drones, small arms and ammunition, howitzers, armoured vehicles, protective equipment and fuel. Some of this equipment has already been seized by Russian and Donbass republic forces during their advance.
In addition to weapons, Kiev has also received hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and set about recruiting a “foreign legion” of paid mercenaries, reportedly offering up to $2,000 a day or $60,000 a month for their services. Nearly 20,000 people have already expressed interest, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
On Sunday, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused the US and the UK of turning Polish territory into a “logistical hub used to supply weapons and smuggle fighters” to Ukraine, including terrorist militants redeployed from At Tanf, the US-controlled base in Syria.