This assistance would come in the form of so-called “defensive lethal aid,” which could include anti-tank, anti-air and anti-mortar systems.
The New York Times first reported the possible change in policy, saying NATO commander Gen. Phil Breedlove, is in support of the new lethal assistance, and that Secretary of State John Kerry, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey and National Security Adviser Susan Rice are all open to considering the idea.
A U.S. official now tells CNN that military leadership supports defensive lethal aid being part of the discussion, but the administration is still trying to assess what reaction it could illicit from the Russian government, which the U.S. maintains is backing rebels in eastern Ukraine.
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“Enhanced military assistance would increase Kyiv’s capability to deter further Russian escalation,” they add.
Among the report’s authors are Michele Flournoy, a former Undersecretary of Defense in the Obama administration, and Ivo Daalder, a former foreign policy adviser to the president and U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO.
