Pressure to arm Kiev could increase despite risks: top U.S. diplomat
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/06/us-ukraine-crisis-usa-idUSKBN0M20SY20150306
"...Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told German radio (DLF) the United States was already working on supplying Kiev with non-lethal equipment, including $130 million worth of protective vests, night-vision goggles and other equipment.
"But if the aggression continues, I think there will be more and more pressure to give them other means to protect themselves," he said in the interview with DLF.
With both the government in Kiev and the rebels in eastern Ukraine accusing each other of violating a fragile ceasefire agreed last month, U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders are weighing their next steps to try to halt a conflict that has killed about 6,000 people since last April.
U.S. and European officials are concerned that sending arms to Kiev would risk escalating the fighting and suck them into a proxy war with Russia.
But some U.S. lawmakers are urging Obama to counter what they see as increased aggression by Russia by providing weapons to Kiev.
Blinken said he did not believe there could be a military solution and the emphasis must be on diplomatic efforts, which continued on Friday when European Union foreign ministers met in Latvia and Berlin hosted separate talks among top foreign ministry officials from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany.
"And you know, it's certainly true that, were any of us to provide weapons to Ukraine, Russia could match that and then double that and triple that and quadruple that," he told DLF.
"But it's also important to have in mind that the Ukrainians should be able to defend themselves and we provided significant security assistance, defensive, non-lethal security assistance to Ukraine to do just that," he said…"
---
At what point do you veer away from diplomacy? It seems to be a game of time, allowing Ukraine enough time to build up its own military with limited support from its allies, but with a risk of Russian expanding its aggression. How long will the populace of Russian stand behind him, especially if the Kremlin is forced to finally admits to its involvement? With winter almost past, the heavy need for Russian natural gas will decline until next winter rolls around. Perhaps it will embolden Europe to take a harsher stance.