U.S. Ships Weapons To Ukraine vs Possible Russian Invasion

The United States says the first shipment of military aid promised by President Joe Biden to Ukraine amid the standoff with Russia has arrived in Kyiv, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Photo Insert: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba

Washington has also endorsed a move by the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to send US-made weapons to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Saturday to salute the three NATO nations and former Soviet republics “for their longstanding support to Ukraine.”

Late on Friday the US embassy in Kyiv tweeted photos of a consignment it said had just arrived from the US, with "close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine," Euronews also reported.

The shipment demonstrated Washington's "commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of growing Russian aggression," the embassy said on Twitter.

Britain sent anti-tank missiles earlier this week, while the defense ministers of the Baltic nations issued a statement saying they received US approval to send Stinger air defense missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles to strengthen Kyiv's defenses.

But further cracks in European unity emerged on Saturday when a diplomatic row erupted between Ukraine and Germany.

Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Berlin of "undermining unity" and "encouraging Vladimir Putin" to attack his country, after Germany's defense minister ruled out sending weapons to Kyiv for now, arguing such a move would not help defuse tensions with Moscow.

Meanwhile, Kyiv was further angered by comments made by Germany's navy chief, questioning Western views regarding Putin's intentions and suggesting Ukraine would never regain Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

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