US Clears Baltic States To Send US-Made Weapons To Ukraine

The US State Department has cleared Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send US-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the decision said, as President Joe Biden predicted Russia would move on Ukraine.

Under export control regulations, countries must obtain approval from the State Department before transferring any weapons they received from the United States to third parties.

The third-party transfer agreements will allow Estonia to transfer Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, while Lithuania will be permitted to send Stinger missiles, said one of the sources.

The three Baltic states are members of the NATO intergovernmental military alliance which opposes Russian moves near its border with Ukraine — Moscow has amassed about 100,000 troops, along with tanks and artillery, near the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine aspires to become a member of NATO, although if that occurred NATO members would be obligated to defend the country against any Russian aggression.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently warned that "the risk of a conflict is real."

"NATO allies call on Russia to de-escalate. We encourage Russia to reverse its decision to cut diplomatic ties with NATO."

The Biden administration approved hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine since last year.

Britain is also supporting Ukraine — announcing on Monday that it was delivering anti-tank weapons.