U.S. to provide Ukrainian army with sniper complexes

The U.S. government will offer the Ukrainian military
sniper complexes in addition to Javelin anti-tank missile systems, U.S. Sen.
Robert Portman told reporters during his visit to Ukraine on April 5, as
reported by the Voice of America. Portman has led the effort to impose
sanctions against Russia and provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons,
prompting President Poroshenko to award him a state decoration at a ceremony
yesterday.

“I was in Donbas yesterday where Ukrainian soldiers
continue to perish,” Portman said. “Last month, the majority of casualties were
caused, most likely, by enemy sniper fire. And one of the recent decisions of
American legislators and the administration is to offer snipers to the
Ukrainian army in order to return sniper fire that is killing Ukrainian
soldiers. This is one of the concrete examples that prove that the U.S. is
standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.”

Zenon Zawada: The Obama
administration maintained a fine line between non-military and military support
in helping Ukraine resist Russian aggression. On the other hand, the Trump
administration has gradually blurred this fine line to the point of directly
supporting Ukraine with arms, and therefore directly involving itself in this
war.

While Javelin launchers are defensive armament
vehicles that are forbidden in the conflict zone (and whose use will therefore
be restricted), snipers are easily portable armaments that can easily become
used for offensive purposes, and within the war zone. (After all, at what point
does a defensive weapon not become an offensive weapon?)

Providing snipers will bolster the Kremlin view
that they are truly fighting the U.S. in this war, with Ukrainian soldiers
merely acting as the proxy. We even argue that the introduction of weapons like
snipers will further prompt the Kremlin to view a continental war as the best
way to resolve this conflict with the U.S.