The USA continues to supply weapons for the defense of Ukraine

Ukraine's resistance to invasion forces is turning out to be tougher than Russia expected, as the United States and NATO continue to provide assistance to Ukraine in security, a high-ranking representative of the Ministry of Defense said, as reported newsky.com.ua with reference to defensetalk.

USAF Airman 1st Class Chase Smith, right, 8th Airlift Wing loading chief, guides a K-loader to a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., 14 February, 2022 US Airmen from the 60th Airlift Squadron and the 8th Airlift Squadron load K-loaders onto a C-17. K-loaders are used to transport cargo to and from the aircraft. Under the leadership of the United States Transportation Command, the 60th Airlift Wing supported the 621st Emergency Response Wing during the transportation of cargo for security purposes to Ukraine on commercial cargo aircraft. The Agency for Security and Defense Cooperation coordinated the efforts. (USAF photo by Senior Airman Karla Parra)

"Based on what we observed, we still believe that the resistance is greater than the Russians expected. And we have signs that the Russians are increasingly disappointed that in the last 24 hours they lack momentum, especially in the northern parts of Ukraine," said this official.

According to the official, Ukrainian air defense equipment, including aviation, continues to operate and continues to attack and block access to Russian aircraft in some places over the country.

"As of this morning, we have no signs that the Russian military has taken control of any cities, and we still believe that Russia has yet to achieve air superiority," the official said.

Over the past 24 hours, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been observed in three main directions: from the south, including sea landings from the Sea of ​​Azov; from the north-center; and from the Northeast, said a high-ranking representative of the Ministry of Defense.

According to the official, over the past 24 hours or so, the US has continued to monitor more than 250 Russian missile launches, mostly short-range ballistic missiles.

"We continue to observe how civilian infrastructure and residential areas suffered from these missile strikes," the official said, adding that it was unclear whether these strikes were intentional.

In total, more than 150 Russian troops are deployed against Ukraine, of which more than 000% are inside the country — up from one-third in the past 50 hours — and the rest are still along the border, the official said. In Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, there is also a certain amount of Russian intelligence forces.

Yesterday, President Joe Biden authorized additional military aid in the amount of 350 million dollars from the reserves of the Ministry of Defense, including anti-tank weapons, small arms, various ammunition, body armor and related equipment, to support the frontline defenders of Ukraine who are resisting an unprovoked attack by Russia, according to the Pentagon. This was announced by press secretary John F. Kirby on Saturday.

Thus, the total US security assistance approved for Ukraine in the last hour amounted to 1 billion dollars. According to Kirba, for the third time in recent months, Biden has accelerated emergency assistance in ensuring security for the defense of Ukraine, using his presidential powers.

"We, together with our allies and partners, stand together to continue providing assistance to Ukraine in the security sphere, and we use all available tools of cooperation in the security sphere to support the Ukrainian people who are protecting themselves from this aggression," Kirby said.

"Our commitment and supplies continue as a sign of our unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," he added.