Biden administration OKs USD 200 mln in additional arms aid for Ukraine

At the end of December 2021, the Biden Administration
signed off on USD 200 million in additional military aid to Ukraine. The extra
material includes small arms, medical and communications equipment and spare
parts, among other items, interfax.ua reported on Jan 11, citing a CNN report.
The aid comes on top of the USD 300 million in security aid to Ukraine in the
2022 defense bill.

U.S. arms to Ukraine also came up in an msnbc.com item
on the subject of the American reaction to possible military incursions into
Ukraine on the part of the Russians. In response to a question as to what the
U.S. would do besides sanctions if an invasion were to occur, former U.S.
Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor pointed out that the Biden Administration
had stated recently that along with sanctions, the U.S. would arm Ukrainian
territorial units and insurgents within the occupied territory. “They will make
it … frankly, very bloody for the Russians,” Taylor stated.

James Hydzik:
Highlighting the costs associated with American-armed Ukrainian insurgents behind
Russian lines if there is a further invasion is language the Russians
understand. It does signal a very believable determination on the part of the
White House, given the Americans’ track record of arming insurgents. And there
is the matter of Ukrainians’ track record of armed insurgency, which does
extend as far as Mariupol. As such, the U.S. seems to have finally made  a
statement that the Russians will have to take seriously.

However, in terms of asymmetrical warfare, it is
easy enough to pick up a keyboard or turn off gas flows, or send ultimatums,
and thus continue the destabilization through other means. Ukraine and its
allies still have not come up with an actionable, comprehensive solution to the
overall problem.