NATO General: West Should Consider Arming Ukraine
NATO’s military commander says the West needs to consider sending defensive weapons to Ukraine to help it counter Russia’s continued involvement supporting pro-Moscow separatists fighting Kyiv’s forces.
U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove told a Brussels conference that he does not think “any tool of (the) United States or any other nation’s power should necessarily be off the table.”
But Breedlove acknowledged that sending weapons to Kyiv could destabilize the country amid concerns about the implementation of a shaky month-old cease-fire between the pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian troops.
“In Ukraine what we see, as we talked about earlier, diplomatic tools being used, informational tools being used, military tools being used, economic tools being used against Ukraine,” Breedlove said. ” And so we, I think, in the West should consider all of our tools in reply. Could it be destabilizing? The answer is yes. Also, inaction could be destabilizing.”
He said there are “disturbing” military developments in eastern Ukraine and voiced concern whether the cease-fire is being adhered to. He said the insurgents are being resupplied by Moscow, with “equipment coming across a completely porous border” between Ukraine and Russia.
U.S. President Barack Obama has been considering whether to dispatch lethal military aid to Ukraine, but has held off on a decision in the face of opposition from most European countries who worry that the year-long conflict could intensify again.