A bipartisan group of senators Thursday pushed President Obama to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine, in an effort that’s quickly accelerating in the U.S. and overseas to counter attacks by Russian-backed forces there.
“The U.S. must act with urgency to provide defensive lethal assistance to Ukraine,” said Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain.
The Arizona Republican and the group of 11 Republican and Democratic senators said any defensive weapons package would need to include anti-tank weapons, but would not include U.S. troops.
The Ukrainians “cannot expect U.S. forces to come to their aid,” said the top Democratic on the committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, but instead U.S. support would include weapons that would give the Ukraine the ability to inflict high costs against any further incursions.
The intelligence and training assistance that the U.S. has provided so far, Reed said, “is not enough when you are facing the Russian bear.”
The members gathered a day after defense secretary nominee Ashton Carter said he was “very much inclined” to provide Ukraine weapons to use against the Russian-backed rebels, and as NATO defense ministers prepared to vote on a force package to counter what NATO this week called “a game-changer in European security.”
“Our decisions make clear that NATO is determined to defend all allies against any threats from any direction,” NATO Secretary Gen. Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
If approved, NATO would increase its NATO Response Force from 13,000 to 35,000 service members, including a 5,000-member quick reaction force that could be deployed to defend Ukraine. NATO will also establish six satellite bases in some of its Eastern European countries, Stoltenberg said.
