Today the Ukrainian press reports that during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to the nation yesterday he vowed Washington would give heed to Kiev’s request for additional weapons for the war in the Donbass and for a potential conflict with its Russian neighbor.
UNIAN relates that when asked about American weapons, including Patriot anti-ballistic missile batteries, being provided to Ukraine, Blinken responded, “the U.S., of course, would consider any request since the Pentagon remains Ukraine’s key partner.”
Last month Ukraine’s Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak requested the U.S. deploy to his nation MIM-104 Patriot batteries of the sort the Pentagon sold to Poland. In 2018 Poland purchased a Patriot system for $4.8 billion which included four radar sets, sixteen launching stations, 208 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) and related equipment. In 2010 the Pentagon deployed Patriot missile batteries and troops to man them to Morag in Poland, only forty miles from the Russian border.
Other weapons discussed according to the report were air defense weapons and anti-sniper technology. There is also discussion of the Pentagon supplying more Javelin anti-tank missiles and munitions in addition to the 210 missiles and 37 launchers provided two years ago.
Another Ukrainian news source today quotes Blinken stating: “Of course, we consider every request. Pentagon is Ukraine’s key partner. Today, we think of what kind of extra aid – apart from the very considerable assistance we already provided, including the equipment, would be useful for Ukraine at this actual point. This matter is on the stage of active consideration.”
The U.S. Senate is poised to add $300 million worth of lethal and non-lethal weaponry to Ukraine to the $125 million the Pentagon has provided so far this year.
Rick Rozoff is a contributing editor at Antiwar.com. He has been involved in anti-war and anti-interventionist work in various capacities for forty years. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. He is the manager of Stop NATO. This originally appeared at Anti-Bellum.
Give them Patriot missiles, and we may as well deliver them to Russia.
We are frantic to protect that tech, as in Turkey, and now we’ll hand it over?
Good point!. That event is worth remembering.
When Turkey requested Patriot anti-missile defense system (after a Turkish plane was shot on Syrian border), US made a big issue over it.
You would think that being NATO ally would automatically qualify Turkey to purchase the system. Not necessarily.
That event probably belongs to a primer of “Erdogan’s 9 Lives”.
He was in US when the plane was shut down. At that time, US did everything in its power to make Turkey go into Syria and depose Assad,
Erdogan took a path of self defense by challenging US to do it. He had constantly thrown back US own words claiming Assad’s villainy — to ask US what is it then waiting for?
Basically, you do it FIRST. Of course there was no way Obama was going to do it, and Erdogan knew it,
But suddenly, he was abroad, when Turkish plane was downed in Syrian border. He was trapped, having to show strength.
And the collective volubility of both, Western allies and internal Turkish NATO cheerleaders was breaking ALL decibel levels — urging Turkey to take on Assad.
How did Erdogan turn it on its head is a master class — he asked NATO to let Turkey purchase Patriot missiles!
Logical request, since Turkey is being urged to “do something”, and has no defenses.
Since a plane just went down, Erdogan made it a mater of urgency. And blunted calls for going after Assad,
Of course he knew that Turkey will NEVER BE GIVVEN missile defense capabilities.
Why? Because Turkey clashed with Israel too many times, and there is no way US would allow any one in the area have capabilities to deter Israel. Just in case.
And after much time passed and Erdogan NOT letting go of the topic (for domestic purposes now — to make NATO cheerleaders squirm).
Finally three batteries arrived — but Turkish military was not allowed to touch them. Batteries came with three crews: US, Dutch and German. Later all three taken out as “no more needed”.
Turkey applied to Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2012, approved in 2013, on partner level.
Deal for S-400 is bases on that event. Even after US promised Patriots in exchange for Turkey ditching S-400, the negotiations revealed the same US unwillingness to sell the system and independently use it.
Contracts usually involve US support and maintenance, so participation of any client is for operation only, and there is a question about sharing radar information,
Well, the Patriot system has proven worthless in real world combat so far.
As for the Javelin Missiles, they will only find pieces of them around the incinerated bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers after the Russian TOS-1A multiple rocket launcher and thermobaric weapons are finished doing their work just like last time.
“the Patriot system has proven worthless in real world combat so far”
Which real world are we talking about here? In this real world, it’s certainly much further from perfect than advertised, but hardly “worthless.”
“Patriot Missiles Are Made in America and Fail Everywhere
The evidence is in: the missile defense system that the United States and its allies rely on is a lemon.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/28/patriot-missiles-are-made-in-america-and-fail-everywhere/
“More recently, however, Saudi Arabia put its Patriot defences to the test and found them severely lacking, with outright failures.
In repeated missile strikes from Houthi rebels using unsophisticated ballistic missiles, the Patriot missile failed, at times spectacularly.
With little evidence that Saudi Arabia shot down any missiles fired by the Houthi rebels during the Yemen conflict, and the United States’ own failed experience with Patriot missiles during the first Gulf war, a more serious question is posed: who is to say that the Patriot system even works?”
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/the-patriot-missile-is-a-myth-23963
Ye, Javelin Missiles signifies a quantum leap in arms escalation in theatre.
As much history as Ukraine has seen, it’s hard to believe they can’t see what they’re being set up for by Washington and their own “leaders”.
“Their own” leaders are probably busy building their mansions on prime property on the West Bank.
More junk sellout for profit…!
I was concerned when I first saw this story, but closer reading plus other information has eased that.
This is the equivalent to a parent telling a little kid that Santa Clause will of course consider any requests for a pony as a Christmas gift.
An article at the RT site adds to this perception:
The end of strategic ambiguity? America has finally stopped pretending it would risk war with Russia over supposed ‘ally’ Ukraine
According to the RT author, this is the clincher:
Hopefully the US is making the vague noises to gracefully back out of a potentially embarrassing situation.
Ah, remember the good old days when Obama actually did something right and refused to sell lethal weapons, including those javelin missiles, to Ukraine? Trump changed that and Biden is following suit.