materiel

Separate reports, including from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department’s intelligence bureau, show an increase in the flow of materiel from the U.A.E. to the rebel Rapid Support Forces since the spring, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence.

The materiel includes the advanced Chinese-made drones along with small arms, heavy machine guns, vehicles, artillery, mortars and ammunition, the officials said.

Peter Thiel-backed Quantum Systems, which makes mainly surveillance drones, was among the first Western companies to donate materiel to Ukraine back in 2022.

Some EU countries wanted to use the programme to finance the purchase of materiel from outside the bloc, notably from the United States.

Mr. Putin purportedly thought that his troops would parade through Kyiv only a few days after attacking Ukraine in February of 2022, which is why many Russian units were outfitted with only a few days’ of materiel and supplies.