It’s a familiar pattern that has played out over and over throughout the year-long Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine asks Washington for a specific weapon, vehicle or piece of military equipment to use against the invaders. A reluctant Biden administration initially says no, fearing the move could inflame tensions with Russia and escalate the conflict. But public pressure and behind-the-scenes cajoling from Kyiv, Capitol Hill and elsewhere eventually convinces the White House to fulfill the request.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul told reporters this week while visiting Kyiv that White House and Pentagon officials are still debating among themselves whether to send F-16s or ATACMS. “Our view is that we think the Ukrainians can change the dynamic on the battlefield and achieve the type of effects they want to push the Russians back without ATACMS,” Pentagon Undersecretary for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters last month.
But the Kremlin has lobbed such threats before. On numerous occasions, despite those threats and the fear of escalation, the administration has eventually acquiesced and given Ukraine what it wanted. Similarly, the administration changed course earlier this year and began sending to Ukraine America’s famed M1-Abrams tanks, part of a multinational NATO push to send heavy ground vehicles to the fight. The administration initially appeared reluctant, arguing that the Abrams is a “very complicated” piece of equipment, as Mr. Kahl described it last month, and that it may not be the best choice for Ukraine.
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