This week, the Pentagon made the announcement that it would dispatch experts to Ukraine to investigate how Kiev is utilising arms supplied by the US in its battle with Russia.
In addition to the security experts at the US Embassy in Kiev, this team of professionals is the first contingent of US military personnel in Ukraine.
The statement this week came amid rising worry, particularly among Republicans, about Ukraine taking advantage of its assistance, despite President Biden’s insistence that the United States would not send troops to battle in Ukraine.
On October 31, a senior representative of the US Department of Defense informed reporters that the Pentagon had not yet seen “credible evidence of misuse of US-supplied weapons.”
However, “we are aggressively taking every measure to prevent that from happening. We are well aware of the potential threat of the unauthorised use of these weapons.”
The number of weapons specialists in Ukraine or where they are employed was not disclosed by the Pentagon.
As on November 1, “embassies employees” would “remain away from any action on the front lines,” according to Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.
Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the House Republicans, gained notoriety last month when he declared that the majority of Republicans opposed writing “blank checks” to Ukraine.
Kevin McCarthy and other Republican leaders clarified that the party wants to strengthen monitoring of US aid programmes rather than limit support for Ukraine in its struggle with Russia.
Since January 2021, the United States has promised to giving Ukraine security aid worth over $20 billion, including air and missile defence systems to stave off Russian forces, which have the greatest military supremacy.
The Biden administration is also committed to maintaining this support until the conflict comes to an end.
The inspection of weapons used in Ukraine is part of a master plan the US State Department announced last week to prevent misuse of advanced weapons in Ukraine. The plan also says that Russia’s arms seizure is the main cause of Ukraine’s weapons loss.
“Wars can provide opportunities for illegal arms traffickers and sometimes create a black market for the sale of weapons that lasts for decades,” the plan reads.
To counter this risk, the United States said it will work with Ukraine to better protect these weapons, identify and investigate arms smuggling activities, and strengthen monitoring of Ukraine’s borders.
