US Gives Baltic States Green Light to Send Weapons to Ukraine

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania asked to give Ukraine US-made weapons

More weapons are headed to Ukraine as Washington has given its allies the green light to send US-made arms to Kyiv.

A State Department spokesperson told The Hill that the US has authorized third-party transfers for the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to “US origin equipment from their inventories for use by Ukraine.”

The spokesperson didn’t specify what types of weapons were being transferred, but The Wall Street Journal reported that the Baltic states were sending Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

The transfer adds to the heap of weapons NATO countries have been giving Ukraine. The State Department spokesperson said in 2021, Washington gave Kyiv $650 million in military aid, the largest amount since the aid spigot was turned on after the 2014 US-backed coup in Kyiv.

Since 2014, the US has given Ukraine about $2.7 billion in military aid. In December, the Biden administration authorized an additional $200 million, and another $300 million was authorized by the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.