The United States is "combing" the world in search of Russian and Soviet-made weapons for Ukraine.

This is stated in the New York Times article.

According to the publication, there are certain successes in this direction. 

Finland

, which has remained neutral, is sending some Soviet-style weapons to Ukraine, including ammunition and AK-47-compatible weapons. 

South Korea

is supplying ballistic vests, helmets, medical equipment and other defense aid.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently visited such countries as

Cambodia, DR Congo, Rwanda, Mexico, Colombia and Peru

.

According to the journalists, this "speaks of the troublesome behind-the-scenes diplomatic work aimed at involving countries that have shown support for Ukraine, but have not yet provided lethal weapons."

Cyprus - under special attention

Special attention in the USA was drawn to Cyprus.

The country was under a US arms embargo that lasted 35 years.

At one time, it was introduced in order to reduce the level of tension with Turkey.

At that time, Cyprus turned to the Soviet Union and then to Russia for weapons and military equipment.

Today, its stock is at least 10 Tor and Buk missile systems, which can shoot down Russian aircraft, drones and cruise missiles, and can become

a real treasure for the Ukrainian army.

But the Cypriot government has made it clear that it needs new and better replacements.

That could provoke Turkish resistance and reignite an arms race in the still-unresolved conflict.

Despite this, on October 1, the Biden administration officially

lifted the embargo

, allowing Cyprus to buy American weapons.

American officials said the move was several years in the making and was intended to distance Cyprus from Russian influence.

But one US official said on condition of anonymity that Cyprus is now a "potential option" as an arms supplier to Ukraine.

With its

Russian-made missile launchers, surface-to-air missiles, helicopters, tanks and armored vehicles,

Cyprus has "exactly the systems Ukraine needs to support its counter-offensive and to hold the territory they are reclaiming — and, more broadly, to defeat Putin's invasion to Ukraine," said Bradley Bowman, a former US Army officer.

The official position of Cyprus

"Cyprus is ready to consider the transfer of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, if there is a replacement for another military equipment with the same power and capabilities," said the spokesman of the Cypriot government, Marios Pelecanos.

According to him, in recent months there have been numerous meetings with American officials during which this possibility was discussed.

Cyprus welcomed the US decision to lift the embargo.

However, they emphasized that this

does not mean that Cyprus is ready to send weapons to Ukraine.

"Given the serious security threats that come from the Turkish occupation forces every day, the current security architecture of Cyprus will remain intact," Pelecanos said.

Turkey's position

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already promised to reinforce his troops in northern Cyprus with additional weapons after the US embargo is lifted.

Russian lobby in Cyprus

Mykhailo Samus, Deputy Director of the Army, Conversion and Disarmament Center for International Affairs, said that there are very

powerful Russian lobbyists

in Cyprus .

He said this in an interview with TSN.ua.

"If you imagine that Cypriots are Lithuanians, then, I think, these systems would have been in Ukraine for a long time. But if people do not want (to provide weapons. - Ed.), but do not want to admit it directly, then they are simply looking for reasons , why not do it. I think we need to move on to specific projects from the USA," the expert noted.

Soviet weapons for Ukraine

The countries of Eastern Europe, many of which were once satellites of the Soviet Union and are now members of NATO, willingly sent Russian-standard equipment to Ukraine since February: tanks and artillery ammunition from the

Czech Republic

, howitzers from

Estonia

, helicopters from

Latvia and Slovakia

, and from Poland - amphibious combat vehicles and thousands of 122 mm Grad rockets.

According to the latest data,

Poland was the fourth largest provider

of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States, Britain and the European Union.

A possible plan to help Ukraine acquire more weapons was provided in July by the Washington-based think tank Foundation of Defense of Democracies, which named 23 non-NATO countries with a combined stockpile of more than 6,300 Soviet- and Russian-made weapons systems and ammunition.

These countries condemned the invasion of the Russian Federation and could theoretically provide Ukraine with these weapons.

Earlier, CNN published the list of weapons provided by Ukraine on Ramstein-6.

Read also:

  • NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg assured that Ukraine will receive more air defense systems from the allies.

  • Germany will hand over Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled guns and MARSII anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

  • The Netherlands announced the transfer of additional anti-aircraft missiles worth 15 million euros to Ukraine.

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