The shipment “includes close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine,” according to the tweet.
The development comes as the US has sought to convince Moscow to de-escalate the situation at the Ukrainian border, where Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “met with a severe and a united response.”
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would invade Ukraine. The US has warned that it will impose severe consequences in the event of an invasion — and Blinken reiterated Friday that meant Russian troops crossing the border.
“We’ve been clear. If any Russian military forces move across Ukraine’s border, that’s a renewed invasion. It will be met with swift, severe and a united response from the United States and our partners and allies,” Blinken said.
Lavrov insisted Friday that Russia was not planning to attack.
These options would also likely be supported by sanctions.
The goal of any military reinforcement in Eastern Europe would be to provide deterrence and reassurance to allies. The options could include “movement of assets and forces already in Europe and also assets and forces available outside of Europe,” the official said. A Russian invasion “certainly would be one trigger” for US…
Source : cnn
