The US is mulling over the
possibilities of sending lethal weapons and defense equipment to the Ukraine’s
beleaguered forces to counter the Russia-backed separatists.
The Obama administration has not
taken any concrete decision in this regard yet, but the recent failures of the
Ukrainian army at the hands of the separatists have forced it to have a fresh
look at the proposition.
Until now, the US has only been
providing Ukraine with non-lethal military equipment like body armor,
night-vision goggles, first aid kits, and engineering equipment.
According to the sources, the
economic sanctions against Russia to discourage it from helping the separatists
have not been of any help; and that is why the issue of supplying heavy
military equipment has come to the fore.
In the past few weeks, Russia has
sent huge amount of heavy military equipment like T80 and T72 tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, artillery, and armored personnel carriers to
bolster the separatist offensive. It is also believed that Russia is providing
training to the separatists to use sophisticated weapons.
It is also believed that the US
is considering supplying military communications equipment that cannot be
intercepted by Russian intelligence.
Many of the European states might
provide Ukraine with defense artillery, if the US takes the lead.
However, the risk of sending
heavy military equipment to Ukraine is that it might tempt the Putin
administration to raise the stakes. Is the US willing to take that risk, only
time will tell.
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