The first shipment of military aid promised to Ukraine by US President Joe Biden amid Western speculation about a supposedly imminent “Russian invasion” of the country has been delivered to Kiev.
Late on Friday, the US Embassy in the Ukrainian capital posted photos on Twitter of large green-colored crates being unloaded from a cargo plane.
The crates held almost 100 tons of “lethal aid,” including ammunition intended for “the front line defenders of Ukraine,” it said. According to the embassy, the delivery was further proof of Washington’s “commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of growing Russian aggression.”
Earlier this week, the US announced that it was expediting the transport of five Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopters to Kiev. Bought from Moscow and intended for the previous, Western-backed, Afghan government, the choppers were diverted from Kabul due to the Taliban takeover since last August.
Britain has also gifted anti-tank missiles to the Ukrainian government, while the defense ministers of the Baltic States have announced that they have received American approval to supply Kiev with Stinger air defense missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear on Tuesday that his country would not be exporting any lethal weapons to Kiev, however.
Foreign munitions are being sent to Ukraine under the pretext of deterring a purported upcoming Russian “invasion,” which Washington claims could happen at any moment. Moscow has been denying for weeks Western speculation that it is planning to attack its neighbor, describing the allegations as attempts to provoke “hysteria” and dismissing them as “fake news.”
According to Russia, the West is to blame for the escalation in Ukraine, as its weapons shipment, and NATO’s continued eastward expansion, will only encourage Kiev to look for a military solution to its ‘frozen’ conflict with the country’s secessionist Republics in Donetsk and Lugansk.