American firm offers two advanced drones to Ukraine for just a dollar

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, a leading maker of advanced military surveillance drones in the United States, said on Wednesday (February 1) that it was willing to sell two such drones to war-hit Ukraine for just $1. The company said that it has been urging the US government for months to provide Ukraine with its Grey Eagle and Reaper drones, which the American defence forces have used to great effect in surveillance and targeted attacks over Afghanistan, Syria and other conflict zones, news agency AFP reported.

General Atomics said the drones, which can fly long distances at mid-altitudes, wereone of the most obvious, force-enhancing technologies that Ukraine neededin its war against Russia. According to a statement, the company's chief executive Linden Blue said, "From the outset of the Russian invasion, we began looking for options to respond to the requests of Ukrainian forces with our products, including the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle."

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Blue said that General Atomics even offered to train Ukrainian operators at no cost to the US or Ukrainian governments. The company was ready to hand over two of its own training aircraft, along with a ground control station and other hardware, for just a dollar.

Linden Blue said in the statement that Ukraine or someone else would have to pay for outfitting and transferring the aircraft and setting up the operation to put them in the air over the battlefield. He pointed out that the offer was a remarkable deal with no strings attached and all that was required was approval from the US government.

"From our perspective, it is long past time to enable Ukrainian forces with the information dominance required to win this war," Blue further said in the statement.

Recently, the United States, which has emerged as the biggest supporter of Ukraine in terms of providing military equipment, announced that it would provide Kyiv with 31 M1 Abrams tanks. This comes after Germany confirmed it would send 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to the war-hit country.

In the latest news on the Ukraine war, a Russian missile struck a residential building inKramatorsk, killing at least three people. Rescuers on Thursday searched for survivors to pull them out of the debris. Donetsk regional police said paramedics, search-and-rescue dogs, and explosive experts were combing the area as they believed that more people could be trapped, AFP reported on Thursday.

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On Friday, a Ukraine-European Union summit would take place in Kyiv with Prime Minister Denys Shmygal saying on Tuesday that the event is "extremely important" for Kyiv's bid to join the European bloc. "The fact that this summit will be held in Kyiv is a powerful signal to both partners and enemies," Shmygal told a government meeting.

On Thursday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv accompanied by 15 commissioners. "Good to be back in Kyiv, my 4th time since Russia's invasion... We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever. And to deepen further our support and cooperation," she tweeted.

(With inputs from agencies)

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