U.S.-Ukraine "breakthrough deal," U.S. purchases drones from Ukraine. Reports by multiple media outlets, including Global Times, stated that President Zelenskyy and Trump reached an astonishing deal. Previously, the U.S. provided support to Ukraine with American equipment, including the Army Tactical Missile System "HIMARS," 155mm howitzers, and other weapons. Now the order has been reversed, and reverse procurement is taking place.
The U.S. believes that drones that have performed well in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and have been "battle-tested" will become the target of U.S. procurement from Ukraine. From the perspective of the entire procurement form and direction, it can be called a "shocking transaction" and a "major breakthrough," indicating that the standards for the performance of U.S. weapons are changing in the next step.
Previously, the U.S. equipment was more expensive and more high-end, more "high and mighty." The weapons used by Ukraine on the battlefield had low technological content and large consumption, which also did not match the status of a major power. Now, the U.S. believes that the U.S. military also needs similar "battle-tested" drones. Therefore, the role of U.S. weapons is changing. The U.S. believes that in great power competition, including forming confrontation with neighboring countries, consumable and continuously consumable equipment may occupy a particularly important position.
Currently, drones that have been tested on the battlefield may have much greater "value" than the various weapons built by the U.S. at great expense and over a long period. Therefore, the U.S. vision for future weapons is also shifting. Musk previously criticized the U.S. military and Department of Defense harshly, stating that spending so much money to buy expensive equipment might not be usable during war, and may not provide a leading advantage in great power competition. So now, purchasing low-cost, cheap, mass-consumption, non-symmetric disruptive tactics and strategies could be a future development direction for the U.S. military.
This time, the U.S. has invested the highest amount of military spending in history to reshape the U.S. military and create a qualitative gap. Therefore, the U.S. currently has great ambitions. In the next step, if the battlefield standard and the Ukrainian battlefield are used as a testing gold field, the data obtained should be more accurate. Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov once said that for Western arms dealers, there is no better war laboratory than Ukraine. This also indicates that in the eyes of the West, countering Russia is an important goal, a main goal, and a core goal. Using various weapons on the battlefield has an effect on the future main goals, which is one of the important reasons why this battlefield has high value in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Therefore, the U.S. reverse procurement is not only about drones; it is estimated that there will be other weapons that have undergone combat confrontation and scored highly. Therefore, this reverse procurement project first aims to express support to Ukraine, secondly to offset part of the debt. If the U.S. makes excessive demands on Ukraine, turning aid into debt, Ukraine would be unable to repay. However, if the price of buying drones is high or low, it will at least allow the U.S. aid to Ukraine to have a return, which is probably a basic idea.
So this "unbelievable" transaction, this "shocking" transaction, indicates that U.S.-Ukrainian military cooperation is undergoing significant changes. Previously, the blood transfusion was one-way, but now it may truly become two-way.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529108443601338890/
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