Pentagon and State Department have different views on providing weapons to Ukraine – media
The US Department of Defence (DoD) and the State Department differ in their views on providing one or another weapon to Ukraine.
Source: European Pravda, citing Politico
Quote from an anonymous official: "State is looking at opportunities, DOD is looking at threats. Folks at DOD would say they need to think about the pros and cons of each weapons decision, and that responsibility falls on them."
Details: Thus, when assessing the need to deliver weapons to Kyiv, the State Department and the Pentagon come from different points of view and move at different speeds, Politico’s source says.
The article says that ATACMS long-range missiles, which President Joe Biden agreed to send to Ukraine last week after more than a year of debate, are a fresh example of how decisions are made in Washington because the Pentagon initially resisted their delivery because the US did not have a single free missile in its own arsenal.
Unnamed US officials told the media that Pentagon leadership is taking a balanced approach to assessing Ukraine's needs on the battlefield in the context of the broader conflict.
It is said that for now, US officials are still concerned about the escalation of the conflict, but they are increasingly focusing on ensuring that the Pentagon has enough weapons in its warehouses to protect against other contingencies.
Background:
- It was previously reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden decided to provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles even before the visit of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the US but decided not to announce it publicly. According to the Financial Times, the US will send missiles in the near future, initially in small quantities, the media's sources said.
- NBC News says that Biden told Zelenskyy in a meeting at the White House that Washington would deliver a small number of ATACMS missiles to help in the war with Russia.
- Washington previously explained its refusal to deliver long-range missiles because the United States does not have sufficient stocks of these weapons. Another reason, which American officials did not publicly voice, is the fear of escalation on the part of Russia.
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