NEW YORK, November 12. /TASS/. Taiwan’s administration may have transferred its surplus Hawk surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs) to Ukraine with US assistance, Forbes reported, citing former Pentagon official Tony Hu.

He suggested that the island’s administration may have handed over surplus SAMs to the US, which then sent them to Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces could potentially deploy up to 15 batteries of Hawk SAMs, with at least six launchers, each equipped with three missiles, the newspaper reported.

In April, the State Department approved the possible sale of $138 million worth of Hawk SAM maintenance kits to Ukraine. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) stated that the delivery of these kits "will not alter the basic military balance in the region" and will not diminish the US defense capabilities. Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949, when the remaining Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), retreated to the island after being defeated in China’s civil war. However, Beijing regards Taiwan as one of its provinces.

Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, establishing ties with China. While recognizing the One China policy, the US continues to engage with the Taipei administration and supply weapons to the island. According to estimates from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the US has provided over $70 billion in military assistance to Taiwan in recent years.