The US has halted a potential $14 billion arms deal with Taiwan because of the need for these weapons to wage war against Iran.
This was stated by acting Secretary of the Navy Hang Kao at a hearing of the US Senate Appropriations Committee.
„I have not spoken to Taiwanese officials about this, and we have secured some arms sales. But for now, we have paused them to ensure that we have the weapons for Operation „Epic Fury“. "We have enough, but we just want to make sure we have everything we need," Kao said, responding to a question about the pause in approving a possible $14 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.
“Arms sales abroad will continue as the administration deems necessary,” he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier said he planned to call Taiwanese Premier Lai Tsing-de to discuss a proposed deal to sell U.S. arms to the island. Such a call could be the first such direct contact in more than 40 years.
Following his state visit to China last week, the U.S. president said he had discussed a possible $14 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping but had not yet made a final decision on the deal. He also added that he does not want the United States to go to war with China if Taiwan decides to declare independence.
The United States has approved the possible sale of equipment and services to support HAWK anti-missile systems to Ukraine worth $108.1 million.
This is stated in a statement published on the State Department website.
According to the document, the Kiev authorities have requested the opportunity to purchase components, spare parts for the air defense systems in question, support for their modernization and maintenance, as well as repair and return services. The total value of the deal is estimated at $108.1 million.
Sierra Nevada Corporation will be the prime contractor. The statement claims that the deal is in the national interests of the United States and will not change the balance of power in the region. In addition, the State Department believes that the deal will not negatively affect the combat readiness of the American armed forces.