Ukraine Day 1261: LIVE UPDATES BELOW.
Yesterday’s coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here.
An Invasion By Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine
US State and Defense Departments Mulling Arming Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine is more than three and a half years old. 1261 days ago today the Euromaidan Revolution began its final phase (and The Interpreter began its daily coverage). The Russian military invasion, first in Crimea and then the Donbass, began soon after. And yet two US administrations have not given Ukraine lethal aid.
The New York Times reports that the State Department and The Pentagon are considering changing this, though the White House has yet to weigh in on the plan:
The plan by the Pentagon and State Department has been presented to the White House, but no decision has been made, said a Defense Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a proposal still under review. It was not clear if President Trump had been briefed on the proposal.
Among the weapons which may be included in the plan are Javelin anti-tank missiles which have long been on Ukraine’s shopping list, as well as possibly anti-aircraft weapons. Part of the plan is to keep these weapons in reserve rather than on the front lines in order to deploy them if needed to check future Russian aggression.
Pentagon and State Department Are Said to Propose Arming Ukraine
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon and State Department have proposed to the White House a plan to supply Ukraine with anti-tank missiles and other arms, according to Defense Department officials.
It’s unclear whether the Trump White House will greenlight such a plan, and it’s also unclear how such weapons will stop the current levels of Russian aggression which injure or kill Ukrainian soldiers and civilians nearly every day.
— James Miller