The administration of US President Joe Biden will not transfer advanced Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones to Ukraine, despite requests from Kyiv. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials.
The Pentagon refused to Kyiv, as it fears that this will aggravate the conflict and will be a signal to the Kremlin that the United States is supplying weapons capable of attacking targets in Russia.
This is not the only reason. U.S. officials are worried that the technology used in the Gray Eagle could be stolen if the Russian military is able to shoot down the drones. This argument, however, was not decisive, notes the WSJ.
The decision to transfer combat drones to Kyiv was supported by members of Congress: in September, 17 congressmen sent a letter to the Biden administration asking them to do it as soon as possible.
In June, Reuters, citing sources, wrote that the US presidential administration was going to sell Ukraine four MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that could be equipped with Hellfire missiles. As a result, the deal was suspended: the Pentagon expressed concern that if the radars and surveillance equipment get into the hands of the Russian military, this could pose a threat to US security. Each MQ-1C Gray Eagle costs about $10 million.
WSJ notes that the refusal to supply the Gray Eagle followed immediately after the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the withdrawal of troops from Kherson across the Dnieper.
