The United States has given the green light for Baltic nations to rush US-made weapons to Ukraine, with Lithuania on Thursday saying it hoped to deter "aggressor" Russia.

A State Department official in Berlin, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding crisis talks on Ukraine, said Washington was "expediting authorised transfers of US-origin equipment from other allies".

"European allies have what they need to move forward on additional security assistance (to) Ukraine in the coming days and weeks," the official said.

A source familiar with the authorisations said the approval was for urgent requests by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to assist Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet republic.

The exact amounts and types of weapons were not specified but the Baltic nations' arsenals include Javelins -- portable missiles capable of destroying tanks.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas confirmed that his country was sending defence and other aid to Ukraine in a bid to deter Russia from attacking.

"History shows us that conceding to the aggressor eventually ends in a big war. We do not want this. Any country which is defending itself must have opportunities to do this," he told AFP.

His Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks had on Wednesday signalled his country's intention to send Ukraine "both lethal and non-lethal defence equipment".

Estonia has said it plans to send "dozens" of Javelin anti-tank missiles and some 122mm howitzers.

The howitzers originally belonged to East Germany, then Germany and were bought by Finland in the 1990s.

Finland and Germany would have to give their approval for Estonia to send them to Ukraine.

Other countries in the former Soviet bloc could join in.

The Czech defence ministry on Thursday said it wanted to send artillery ammunition to Ukraine and would outline its plans next week.

Tens of thousands of Russian troops along with tanks and artillery have been deployed near the Ukrainian border since late last year, rattling the three Baltic nations, which are members of NATO.

US President Joe Biden's administration has approved $650 million in weapons to Ukraine since last year, $200 million of it last month amid fears of war.

Ukraine has voiced hope for military supplies as quickly as possible, with shipments from nearby countries especially valuable.

Britain has also rushed anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Romania ready to host French troops: president
Bucharest (AFP) Jan 20, 2022
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday welcomed French counterpart Emmanuel Macron's announcement of a possible troop deployment on NATO's Eastern flank as fears rise of a Russian attack on Ukraine. Macron on Wednesday expressed France's "readiness to go further, and within the framework of NATO to commit to new missions ... in particular in Romania". "I warmly welcome President Emmanuel Macron's announcement on France's readiness to participate in NATO's forward military presence in Roma ... read more