White House Confirms US Plans To Transfer Mi-17 Helicopters To Ukraine

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Friday confirmed the recent reports about US plans to deliver Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine amid the ongoing tensions with Russia

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2022) White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Friday confirmed the recent reports about US plans to deliver Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine amid the ongoing tensions with Russia.

Several media outlets reported on Thursday that Washington will provide Kiev with five Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopters that were originally intended for the Afghan armed forces prior to the government's collapse and were being repaired in Ukraine.

"(I)n identifying additional equipment held in DoD (Department of Defense) inventories that can be delivered under the Excess Defensive Articles program among other mechanisms, we recently notified Congress of our intent to deliver Mi-17 helicopters (to Ukraine)," Psaki said during a press briefing.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration approved a request from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia to send US-made lethal weapons to Ukraine in order to boost the country's military capabilities against alleged Russian aggression.

Western countries and Kiev have recently expressed concerns about the alleged aggressive actions of Russia near the border with Ukraine. Kiev accuses Moscow of military build-up and preparations for an invasion of the neighboring country. However, Russia has denied the allegations and reiterated that it has no intention of attacking any country. Moreover, Moscow has said it views the accusations as a pretext for deploying more NATO military equipment close to Russia's borders.