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| Ukraine Reacts After Biden Denied Them Vital Equipment Months Ago |
| 2022-03-05 |
| [Republic Brief] Despite requests from the Ukrainian government for stinger missiles months ago, U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) stated that the missiles only began arriving in Ukraine a week ago, during Russia’s invasion of the country. "The stingers didn’t start arriving until about a week ago. They should have had them. They should have had them on day one. Those things should have been shooting up from Kharkiv, from Kyiv, from the border," he said in an interview on Wednesday. Waltz stated that Ukrainians he spoke with on his visit in December were "extremely frustrated" by the fact that they had not received the air defense systems at the same time Russian troops were building up at the border. "The Ukrainians that I met with were incredibly frustrated in December that they didn’t, they weren’t getting what they asked for," he recalled. "How much more effective would they be right now if they had more Javelins, more body armor, more stingers?" CNN reported on November 23 that some in the Biden administration were worried that Russia would view sending stingers as a major escalation. According to CNN, an additional $200 million in security assistance was authorized to Ukraine on January 10 by the Biden administration, which consists of small arms and ammunition, secure radios, spare parts for medical equipment, and other equipment, but no stingers. CNN quoted a source saying it was "not a game-changer and would not be enough to serve as a major impediment to a Russian invasion," and said the Ukrainian government has expressed a desire for more security assistance than the U.S. has provided so far. As reported by Politico Nightly on January 11, the U.S. armed forces "are wary of seeing their equipment shipped off to Eastern Europe." "After all, replacing transferred Stinger missiles and other material takes time, thus leaving them with a temporary weapons gap," according to the outlet. Waltz, a Green Beret and member of the Florida National Guard, made contact with Ukrainians in December. He was visiting Florida National Guard troops at the time being deployed to Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces. He said that some of these forces are now in Poland while others are back home. Waltz said he still has questions over the Biden administration’s most recent announcement that $350 million would be sent to Ukraine for military equipment. "Where did $350 million dollars [figure] come from? Why not $250 million? Why not $500 million? Why that number, was that a needs-based assessment? If you look at the breakdown, it’s really not enough. It’s about enough to equip a battalion," he said. "I don’t think what we’re providing is what the Ukrainians need. It’s nowhere near what they need. Even if you start adding up the other allied contributions. It’s nowhere near," he said. According to him, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has personally assured him that the latest aid shipment is "arriving in Ukrainian’s hands right now." He and other lawmakers heard from a senior defense official on Wednesday, and Waltz said the conflict in Ukraine has already turned into an insurgency. "The main thing you need is a demonstrated will to fight and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky has galvanized his population, and the Russians have made a strategic mistake in not being able to shut down the commercial internet. Every day that [Zelensky] is on television, the Europeans have been shamed into doing more," he explained. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |