The Trump administration has given the green-light for the commercial sale of some lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine, a move that lawmakers and experts hailed as a sharp reversal from Obama-era policies. But some also hope the decision is an intermediary to a bigger step: sending defensive weapons to Ukraine using congressionally authorized funds, or authorizing the sale of heavier weapons.
The Washington Post first reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration has for the first time approved the commercial sale of sniper systems, ammunition, and related accessories to Ukraine. The State Department, the Defense Department, the special envoy for the Ukraine crisis, and lawmakers have all advised the Trump administration to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive aid.
Senators applauded the administration’s decision on Wednesday as a welcome change from the Obama administration, which refused to issue such export licenses. But Arizona senator John McCain urged the Trump administration to take the next step and use the $350 million authorized by Congress in the annual defense bill (NDAA) for lethal and non-lethal aid and assistance.
“The reported decision to authorize the sale of sniper rifles and ammunition must only be a first step,” McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I urge the president to authorize additional sales of defensive lethal weapons, including anti-tank munitions, and to fully utilize security assistance funds provided by the Congress to enable Ukraine to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Authorizing commercial licenses could be an “intermediate step” that allows the Trump administration to size up domestic and foreign reactions before going ahead with government-provided assistance, a congressional aide told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
“By signing off on export licenses, the admin is essentially blessing the provision of arms to Ukraine. The next step is full implementation of all the NDAA authorizations,” the aide said, adding, “I suspect there are more substantial formal aid packages in the works.”
The Trump administration’s envoy for the Ukraine crisis Kurt Volker on Tuesday described 2017 as the most violent year in the conflict since it began in 2014. The war between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces has left over 10,000 dead.
The provision of sniper and counter-sniper systems will fill a Ukrainian capability gap with the Russians, the congressional aide added. “As the conflict has ground down into trench warfare and small unit exchanges in the no-man’s land between the lines, the role of snipers has become increasingly important.”
The Trump administration has not yet issued an export license for Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, the Post reported. Javelins are the most controversial piece of defensive equipment that some critics have warned would not substantively help Ukraine in what is mostly an artillery-focused fight.
The administration’s decision to issue the commercial license legitimizes Ukraine as a security client state and sends a message that the United States is prepared to do more to support Kiev, including facilitate the provision of Javelins, a regional expert told TWS.
“Once you are supplying lethal weapons to a client state, it is a kind-of embrace or endorsement by the world’s leading military power of that country in a conflict,” said Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center. “A signal like this does not by any means say that Javelins are off the table. In fact, if anything, it may be testing the waters and suggesting that that’s the direction the United States may be headed next.”
The United States could use the threat of sending Javelins as leverage, he said. The Kremlin has not implemented the 2015 Minsk ceasefire agreement, which requires Russian-backed separatists to withdraw heavy weapons from the conflict’s front line and create a buffer zone.
Mississippi senator Roger Wicker described the administration’s decision as a “good first step” toward deterring Russian aggression. But he urged the president to consider approving heavier arms, too.
“I am hopeful that approval will also be given to future sales of anti-tank weapons and other heavy arms,” Wicker told TWS.
A number of other long-time proponents of defensive aid applauded the administration’s decision Wednesday, including Ohio senator Rob Portman, chairman of the Senate Ukraine Caucus.
“This decision—while long overdue—will reverse the Obama administration’s de facto arms embargo against Ukraine and will finally allow Ukraine to access the tools it needs to defend itself,” he said in a statement.
Reports of the administration’s decision came hours after the Treasury Department announced that it would be designating five high-profile targets under the 2012 Magnitsky Act, a move that is likely to draw the ire of the Kremlin.
