US Contemplates Sending Arms to Ukraine

As pro-Russian separatists continue to make serious gains against the Ukrainian Army in eastern Ukraine, the United States is contemplating the possibility of increasing its involvement in the conflict to include lethal aid.

The New York Times reports that deliberations about the matter are in the early stages, but President Obama has taken an interest in the provision of lethal aid to Ukraine, which had previously been ruled out by the administration.

The United States currently provides non-lethal aid such as meals-ready-to-eat, night vision goggles, and uniforms to the Ukrainian Army. Russia has said that the supplying of weapons to Ukraine would be a provocation. The United States, along with the European Union, have claimed that Russia is backing the Ukrainian rebels with material and regular troops.

The Times reports that Secretary of State John Kerry and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey are both open to giving Ukraine access to advanced US weaponry. The head of Obama's national security team, Susan Rice, is opposed to the supplying to such arms, but a source told the Times that she seems to be reconsidering her opposition.

Kerry will be in Kiev on Thursday, Feb. 4, and the possibility of the weapons is sure to be a topic of discussion.

The Times notes that the United States previously refrained from sending lethal aid to Ukraine over fears that it would increase open Russian involvement in the conflict. Economic sanctions have been in place for months, yet Russia persists in supporting the rebels, which is a major reason for the administration's rethink of this issue.

The fact that the sanctions and a steep drop in oil prices have sent the Russian economy into recession, but Russia still supports the separatists, is the primary reason the United States believes supplying arms to Ukraine is the proper course of action.