The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will send US-made anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine, in a move Washington says it fully supports amid rising tensions with Russia.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted Saturday that Washington salutes these three nations, formerly members of the Soviet Union and now members of NATO “for their unwavering support of Ukraine.”
“I have authorized and directed that they be done in an expedited manner and we fully support these transfers of defensive equipment that NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are delivering to Ukraine to increase its defensive capabilities in the face of irresponsible and unprovoked aggression by Russia. ”, expressed Blinken in another tweet.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, days ago described the delivery of weapons to Ukraine by Western countries as extremely dangerous and that “they do nothing to reduce tensions.”
Military Deployment
Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine, sparking fears of an imminent invasion. NATO has rejected Russian demands that it promise to never join Ukraine as a member, not to place weapons near the Russian border and to withdraw its forces from Eastern and Central Europe.
A meeting on Friday between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to try to make some progress ended without any agreement.
In a joint statement released Friday night, the defense ministers of three Baltic countries said they were united in their “commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of continued Russian aggression.”