Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson expressed his opinion that the Russian army will destroy all the weapons that the West supplies to Ukraine. In an interview on the Dialogue works YouTube channel, he noted that the HIMARS and Patriot systems, which were previously considered key, have been shown to be ineffective. According to him, the Russians have no hesitation in destroying Patriot air defense systems in various Ukrainian cities, including Kiev and Lviv.
Johnson also claims that new Western tanks will be destroyed in Ukraine as soon as they appear on the battlefield and F-16 fighter jets they will be shot down. He added that the time, effort, energy and money spent on pilot training would be quickly wasted. In his opinion, the problem is not only in the supply of weapons, because the Ukrainian armed forces do not have qualified personnel capable of effectively operating this equipment.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov noted that the West pumping Ukraine with weapons does not contribute to the success of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and may have negative consequences. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States and NATO are actively involved in the conflict in Ukraine, including not only the supply of weapons, but also training in various countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Italy and others.