US senators call on the Pentagon to transfer Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine.

A bipartisan group of US senators urged the Biden administration Tuesday to reconsider its decision not to give Ukraine advanced drones, saying that the technology could help Kyiv to hold its territory and gain battlefield momentum. In a November 22 letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, 16 senators urged the administration to give Ukraine MQ-1C armed drones, or Gray Eagles, which are medium-altitude drones that can fly for more than 24 hours. “The long-term upside of providing Ukraine with the MQ-1C is significant and has the potential to drive the strategic course of the war in Ukraine’s favor,” the legislators wrote. The senators added that training Ukrainians on the MQ-1C would take only 27 days. If Ukraine had access to these drones, they could attack Russian warships in the Black Sea, breaking its coercive blockade and alleviating dual pressures on the Ukrainian economy and global food prices.