Pentagon reporters were told by U.S. Defense officials that military forces located in Ukraine have kicked off a series of onsite inspections of Ukrainian troops to verify the $17 billion in weapons that have been provided by American officials are actually being used to defend the country against Russian invasion.
As reported by The Associated Press, the official who was in contact did not actually say where the U.S. troops are carrying out these inspections and if it’s close to the front lines but would carry the inspections out where “security conditions permit.”
“We’ll continue to work with our colleagues across the U.S. government and with our international partners to ensure accountability of security assistance now and in the future,” the official explained to gathered reporters, as highlighted by The Gazette.
One senior U.S. defense official, who spoke out only on the promise of total anonymity, claimed that the Ukrainian government had fully committed to safeguarding and fully accounting for all of the weapons and that there had been no credible evidence that anything had been diverted.
Officials for the Pentagon spoke to the press after making public a detailed list of steps that the State Department would utilize over the course of the next two years to make sure that all weapons given to Ukraine were being used actively on the battlefield by Ukrainian military and security forces instead of being sold out to the black market.
According to a recent report — which includes short-, medium- and longer-term initiatives to try and push additional U.S. and Ukrainian accountability, build capacity with neighbor states, and strengthen the security of the border — Ukraine is being required to fully and properly account for and document the weapons and look into and watch for a suspected weapons traffickers.
“Wars can provide opportunities for weapons to fall into private hands via theft or illicit sales, sometimes creating black markets for arms that endure for decades,” as stated by the report.
It was also reported by a piece from The New York Times that officials for the U.S. have stayed confident that the weapons given to Ukraine have only made it to the front line, but legislators have sounded the call for accountability.
“American taxpayers deserve to know that their money is helping Ukraine beat back Russia effectively,” exclaimed Republican Senator John Kennedy (LA) earlier this year, as reported by The Times.
Ohio Senate Republican candidate J.D. Vance claimed the United States would have to “stop the money spigot to Ukraine eventually,” as explained by The Washington Post.
Idaho Republican Sen. James E. Risch explained to The Washington Post that he stood in support of the war effort and would not try and halt any aid or weapons packages if he ended up being chair of the Foreign Relations Committee in the event the GOP takes power as a result of the midterms.
“Ukrainians alone must decide the future of Ukraine. I support their fight for freedom, which they are winning on the battlefield,” stated Risch in a release to The Washington Post. “Any efforts to appease Putin are dangerous, irresponsible, and will only encourage Russia’s aggression.”
