US Allows Baltic NATO members to send arms to Ukraine

The US has given approval for three Baltic NATO members to send American-made weapons to Ukraine as it squares off against Russia.

The US has given approval for three Baltic NATO members to send American-made weapons to Ukraine.

The decision will enable Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia to send Javelin antitank weapons and Stinger air-defence systems for Ukraine’s forces.

The Biden administration has also notified congress that it intends to provide Ukraine with five Mi-17 transport helicopters, US officials said.

The Russian-made helicopters had been intended for Afghanistan’s military and were being repaired in Ukraine.

“The United States and its allies and partners are standing together to expedite security assistance to Ukraine,” said a State Department spokesman, who declined to discuss details of the shipments from the Baltic States.

“We are in close touch with our Ukrainian partners and our NATO allies on this and are using all available security co-operation tools to help Ukraine bolster its defences in the face of growing Russian aggression.”

The approval to send the arms comes amid mounting fears that the Russian military is poised to attack Ukraine. In addition to massing forces east of Ukraine, the Russian military has moved forces into Belarus, and is also sending additional amphibious ships to the Black Sea to beef-up its military capability near Crimea.

Other NATO nations have been sending arms to Ukraine.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday his government is sending antitank weapons to Ukraine, along with a small number of British troops to train the Ukrainian military in how to use them.

For days, British C-17 cargo planes have been flying the arms to Ukraine.

The US has several mechanisms for providing assistance to Ukraine.

The President has the authority to send weapons and nonlethal assistance out of the Defence Department’s existing stocks. Joe Biden recently approved an additional $US200m in such assistance using such authority, which includes Javelins.

The US also can deliver equipment to Ukraine after classifying it as an “excess defence article” that is no longer needed. The five Mi-17 helicopters are being provided to Ukraine under that program after months of discussion within the US government.

The Stinger is a surface-to-air missile that can be carried by a soldier and fired at planes and helicopters. The Trump administration provided the first Javelins to Ukraine. That type of weapon has an infra-red seeker and is capable of striking enemy tanks from above, where their armour is thinnest.

The Wall Street Journal