Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has revealed that the United States secretly sent significant amounts of weaponry to Ukraine in September and December 2021, months before Russia’s invasion, reports Al Jazeera Balkans.
In an interview with The New York Times, Blinken stated that U.S. officials anticipated the invasion and took steps to ensure Ukraine and its allies were prepared.
Early Military Support
“Long before the Russian aggression began, starting in September and again in December (2021), we secretly sent substantial amounts of weapons to Ukraine to ensure they had what they needed to defend themselves,” Blinken said.
Among the supplies were Stinger missiles and Javelin anti-tank weapons, which Blinken described as critical in stopping Russia from capturing Kyiv and erasing Ukraine from the map.
Strategic Considerations
Blinken explained that several factors influenced the choice of weapons sent to Ukraine, including:
- Ukrainian soldiers’ ability to operate the equipment,
- Their capacity to maintain it, and
- The inclusion of the weapons in a coherent defense strategy.
The early shipment of arms underscores the foresight of U.S. officials in supporting Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression, which began in February 2022.
