Wess Mitchell, who served as the top official of the Trump administration overseeing European and Eurasian affairs, noted that the Javelins and other deadly weapons were not designed for the first time, but to deter Moscow from To enter Ukrainian territory.
But while Washington Kyiv insists on using the Javelins only for defensive purposes and requires that the weapons be stored in a safe facility away from the conflict, there are no geographical restrictions on the actual deployment of the missiles, U.S. officials said. said, which means that the Ukrainian forces can transport, distribute and use it at any time.
“Javelins are defensive weapons and the United States expects Ukraine to deploy them responsibly and strategically if necessary for defensive purposes,” Pentagon spokesman Mike Howard said.
If the Javelins are moved, it does not necessarily mean that they would be used – according to the Kiev estimate, the threshold for firing the weapons has not yet been reached, according to two Ukrainians familiar with the discussions. The red line, they said, would be if Russian tanks crossed into Ukrainian territory.
The current Russian movement in Eastern Europe is exactly the kind of scenario the javelin sale is designed to counter two former senior U.S. defense officials familiar with the deal.
“I’m sure there’s a discussion going on,” the person said. “It doesn’t have to matter.”
An official close to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that any discussions on the relocation of the Javelins had not reached the presidential level and that no decisions had been made as to whether to use them. Zelensky is eager to accelerate tensions, so he will not naturally be inclined to move the weapons east, another person close to the Ukrainian president said.
U.S. officials said they were not aware of any decisions to deploy the Javelins.
Senior Ukrainian officials are not yet convinced that the build-up of troops means Russia is planning an invasion – the fact that the troop movements have been so public for more than two weeks and being dragged publicly indicates to Kiev that Moscow is just saber can be -rat to try to take advantage of the new Biden administration.
But Ukrainian officials are still nervous that the conflict could escalate dramatically and with little notice. At least seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the end of last month amid an increase in violence in the Donbass region, where Ukrainian government forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists since 2014.
President Joe Biden and Zelensky spoke for the first time this month amid mounting tensions. In a White House reading of the conversation, it is said that Biden ‘reaffirmed the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the light of Russia’s continued aggression in [Donbass] and the Crimea. ”
The US has provided Ukraine with $ 2 billion in security assistance since 2014, including two parts of spear missiles as well as other military equipment. Biden, who unsuccessfully sought to provide lethal assistance to Kiev during the Obama administration, also recently approved an additional $ 125 million lethal assistance to help the country defend its borders, including two armed patrol boats and anti-artillery radar.
Yet the Javelins are an incomplete solution to Russia’s aggression. Jim Townsend, a Pentagon official during the Obama administration, said that while the deployment of missiles would not in itself be escalating, it would be of limited use if the Russians did not plan a conventional attack with armored vehicles.
“If the Russians want to do something, and that ‘something’ does not involve armor, then the Javelins will not matter,” said Townsend, who further referred to Russia’s paramilitary forces that invaded Crimea in 2014. ” , Javelins are not useful if the Russians use ‘little green males’ to infiltrate Ukrainian lines. ‘