Washington. January 20. INTERFAX - Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have appealed to the US State Department with a request to approve the transfer of part of their American-made weapons to Ukraine, Politico reported, citing sources.
Obtaining a permit for the transfer of American-made weapons is required by US export control rules.
According to sources, the request includes the supply of anti-tank weapons and surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.
The publication notes that the process of consideration by the State Department of this issue "may take months, and is currently going through bureaucratic procedures in Washington." At the same time, American officials warn of a possible "Russian invasion of Ukraine" in the near future.
"Now we are at a stage where Russia can launch an attack on Ukraine at any moment," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters earlier.
A representative of the State Department said at a briefing yesterday that Russia, under the guise of military exercises, is deploying troops on the territory of Belarus, which is fraught with "a blow to Ukraine from the north."
In these circumstances, Republican Senator Jim Risch told the newspaper that he hopes the State Department will provide the appropriate licenses quickly.
"We cannot allow bureaucracy and the status quo to prevent us from doing what we have to do to give Ukrainians what they need for self-defense," he said.
According to him, "given the urgency of the situation, the Biden administration must find the political will and figure out how to work faster."
