Hagel Confirms That US Is Reviewing Defensive Assistance to Ukraine
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DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett(BRUSSELS) — At a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Obama administration is reviewing the kind of assistance the U.S. is providing to Ukraine, specifically defensive lethal weapons. But he pointed out that the situation in eastern Ukraine won’t be resolved militarily and whatever decisions are made have to take into account long term implications.
“I think what assistance we provide, the U.S., NATO, partners to the Ukraine, has to be continually reviewed. We are reviewing the kind of assistance we are looking at for Ukraine,” said Hagel when asked if the U.S. was considering sending defensive lethal weapons to that country’s military. He pointed out that the U.S. has already committed nearly $320 million in assistance for Ukraine for this year.
As for potential consequences of a decision to send lethal arms Hagel responded “actions have consequences, decisions have consequences, inaction has consequences and it is all part of the total scope of thinking through decisions that we make along with our partners, in any case not just Ukraine.”
Hagel said it was fair to ask if not sending defensive weapons to Ukraine might encourage more Russian aggression.
“I think that’s a fair question, a question that we have to ask — we constantly ask,” he said.
Hagel noted the economic troubles Russia is having with the ruble and Russian bonds being rated as junk bonds, which he said were a result of Russia’s aggression.
He used that to say that while providing defensive weapons is a factor “it isn’t the only determining dynamic that goes into how this is eventually resolved.”
Hagel said all of the powers involved “have to make decisions based on where we think the best, most effective path is for the longer term resolution of this issue.”
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