US weapons deliveries to Kiev may be postponed due to government shutdown — newspaper
The US government suspended its operations on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year
LONDON, October 3. /TASS/. Consultations on US military support for Ukraine have been halted following the suspension of the US government’s operations, and deliveries of American weaponry may be affected, The Telegraph newspaper reported, citing a source within the Ukrainian government
"The main concern is we have a lot of discussions ongoing about future shipments [of weapons] <...> All future projects are a little bit harmed because people from the Pentagon, State Department and White House are not meeting and we lose the time because of this shutdown," the newspaper quotes the source as saying.
According to its information, negotiations between Ukrainian and American officials on a potential agreement for the transfer of drone manufacturing technology have been left in limbo. Meanwhile, Ukrainian delegations that had planned visits to the US in the coming weeks are now reassessing their plans.
As the publication notes, the cancellation of consultations between the two countries will raise concerns that the recent warming in relations could be undermined, while Ukraine continues to suffer devastating losses on the battlefield.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that a Ukrainian delegation arrived in Washington this week to work on agreements with US authorities regarding drones. According to the newspaper, the completion of agreements between Kiev and Washington could take several months.
The US government suspended its operations on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year.