Day 150: US Mulls Sending Fighter Jets to Ukraine; Lithuania Lifts Transit Ban to Kaliningrad
The Facts
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Fri. that the US is considering the transfer of advanced fighter jets to Ukraine, previously ruled out for fears it would trigger Russian retaliation. Nonetheless, Kirby warned the move would not happen any time soon, emphasizing it was only a preliminary assessment.
The US did, however, announce an additional $270M of military aid to Ukraine on Fri. – taking US expenditure to $8.2B since the war started. The new package includes four additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) – taking the total sent by the US to 16 – in addition to 580 Phoenix Ghost drones and artillery amunition.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.