US providing Ukraine with capabilities for deeper strikes inside Russia – ambassador to NATO
He said this in an interview with Fox News, Ukrinform reports.
According to Whitaker, in addition to direct U.S. arms deliveries worth around $1 billion per month, Washington is also supplying weapons to Ukraine indirectly through its NATO allies for approximately the same amount.
"President Trump is making sure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself and by giving them some deeper strike capabilities that obviously could help them offensively. They have already taken out about 20% of Russia's oil refining capacity in the last month," Whitaker said.
He also touched on sanctions against India over its purchases of Russian oil.
Whitaker said that Trump "knows all the cards he has still left to play." At the same time, the U.S. leader understands the importance of keeping Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the negotiating table.
"Is it going to happen overnight? Most likely not. But I think we're on the right path and both sides are still talking, and that is a good thing," he said.
Whitaker stressed that Trump's strategy on the war in Ukraine differs significantly from that of former President Joe Biden's administration. According to him, the U.S. weapons currently used on the Ukrainian front are not funded by American taxpayers. In addition, the U.S. is now engaged in direct talks with Russia, which did not happen under Biden. Finally, the provision of deeper strike capabilities marks a clear shift from the previous administration's policy.
"Finally, we are giving some deeper strike capabilities, and most likely the Ukrainians are going to use them. And that, obviously, is much different than what Joe Biden did," Whitaker said.
