Russia to try to salvage wrecked US drone; Gen. Milley says 'not a lot to recover': Ukraine war updates - USA TODAY

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon briefing that the drone sank into water that's 4,000-5,000 feet deep, making its recovery very difficult.

Milley pointed out nine countries have pledged to send Ukraine more than 150 Leopard tanks, which could become critical weapons in an expected spring offensive aimed at retaking some of the territory Russia has illegally annexed.

Austin said the United States and its allies are in the process of providing Ukrainian forces the capability to “change the dynamics on the battlefield,’’ and he made a case for why it’s so important to continue assisting their cause.

Austin blasted Russia for downing the U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone a day earlier over the Black Sea, vowing that such reconnaissance flights would continue.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in its report of the call that Shoigu noted the United States had provoked the incident by ignoring flight restrictions the Kremlin had imposed due to its military conflict in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Warsaw could transfer a "limited number" of Soviet-era jets to Ukraine within four to six weeks if a coalition of allies could agree on the terms.