The US State Department told Congress it had approved export permits for
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that would allow those countries to ship
American-made weapons to Ukraine.
This was revealed by an administration official, a US State Department
official and a congressional aide familiar with the matter.
Those weapons include highly sought after such as American anti-aircraft
weapons systems from Latvia and Lithuania that will help Ukraine fend off
Russian aircraft that some officials and experts believe would lead in the
early stages of a Russian invasion.
Estonia was given approval to transfer the anti-tank Javelin missile
system, which the US had provided Ukraine in the past.
It's unclear when the weapons will arrive in Ukraine, senior
administration officials said the timing - as well as the price for
Ukraine - would depend on the countries that were given approval.
"The Biden administration is also working to transfer five Russian-made
helicopters into Ukrainian control," the same official said.
A notice has been sent to Congress for the helicopter, the Mi-17, which is
already in Ukraine for maintenance after being pulled out of Afghanistan
during the withdrawal there. The US State Department cited close
coordination with European countries and Ukraine when asked about the
transfer of export licenses.
"European allies have what they need to move forward with additional
security assistance from Ukraine in the coming days and weeks," a State
Department spokesman said.
He also added, “We are in close contact with our Ukrainian partners and
our NATO Allies on this, and are leveraging all security cooperation tools
available to us including expediting official transfers of US-origin
equipment from allies and other partners through our Third Party Transfer
process and Strengths. Defense articles from the Department of Defense
inventory, among other mechanisms," he said.
The move comes as President Joe Biden's administration warns that Russia
could attack Ukraine at any time.
In addition, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Kremlin has
plans to send more troops to Ukraine's borders. The approval - which came
in recent days - is a signal that the US wants to have a bigger impact on
Russian President Vladimir Putin if he goes ahead with the invasion.
President Joe Biden had earlier said on Wednesday that he expected Putin
to "move in" to Ukraine. Earlier this week, Blinken visited Ukraine where
Ukrainian officials thanked U.S. security assistance. But Ukraine also
routinely seeks additional military support.
Russia has amassed about 100,000 troops to its border with Ukraine, which
Blinken says could double in a relatively short period of time.
Russia plans to also conduct joint military exercises with Kremlin ally
Belarus, sparking further concerns from Ukraine that a potential new
frontline has emerged along its northern border.
