President Joe Biden has changed course on at least seven occasions over what types of weapons to greenlight for Ukraine, including some that earlier on the administration considered to be potentially escalatory.
President Joe Biden has changed course on at least seven occasions over what types of weapons to greenlight for Ukraine, including some that earlier on the administration considered to be potentially escalatory.
The Biden administration has approved more than $42 billion in weapons for Ukraine since August 2021 but has opposed sending American combat troops, a scenario the administration argues could amount to a third world war, according to the . Administration officials say the pattern of reversing previous deferments comes from changing battlefield conditions and Kyiv’s anticipated needs, but it also comes as officials have consistently warned against sending some offensive capabilities for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin into a wider war, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review.
“We don’t have an interest in the conflict in Ukraine widening to a broader conflict or evolving into World War III, so we’ve been mindful of that,” Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said last June after the administration changed its thinking on HIMARS for Ukraine, according to Defense News. “But at the same time, Russia doesn’t get a veto over what we send to the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians didn’t start this war, the Russians did.”
FIM-92 Stinger
The U.S. began accelerating weapons supplies to Ukraine as Russian forces amassed near its border in the fall of 2021, but it wasn’t until days after the invasion that the Biden administration for the first time approved Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, according to The Wall Street Journal. In January, the U.S. had approved two European partners to transfer American-made Stingers to Ukraine.
Stinger missiles are shoulder-fired weapons equipped with infrared sensors that guide the missile toward the target and are capable of taking down Russian gunship helicopters, according to Business Insider.
M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
After months of internal wrangling, the administration relented and announced an initial delivery of the now-infamous HIMARS light wheeled multiple rocket launchers on June 1, just not those equipped to fire rockets at longer ranges, Politico reported. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said as a condition of providing HIMARS, Washington extracted a pledge from Kyiv to employ the system in defensive operations only and avoid firing into Russian territory, Defense New reported.
