MOSCOW, (Sputnik) — The United States is unlikely to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons without good reason, since it could lead to Washington's direct involvement in the conflict, Russian experts told RIA Novosti on Monday.
With the escalation of the situation in Ukraine, the White House has come under increasing pressure to supply lethal weapons to the Ukrainian army.
"Such supplies entail direct involvement. These weapons require maintenance by qualified specialists, technical staff; it would be difficult to stop there, so what could ensue is the need to have boots on the ground. It is for that reason that Obama is taking his time on this issue," Alexei Arbatov, head of the Center for International Security of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said.
The expert added that under Obama's presidency the United States "ended two wars, and is waging hybrid warfare in Iraq and Syria, willing or not. So becoming embroiled in another war, especially against Russia, is not what the US wants."
"There is an understanding in the US, that if they start supplying arms, it will give Russia a free hand. That said, it will be the United States that will make the first move," Yevgeny Buzhinsky, Vice-President at the PIR Center (Center for Political Studies), said.
Arbatov pointed out that the report was only a recommendation from experts, not a US government decision and noted that so far Ukraine has received auxiliary systems, communication equipment and logistical support, but no lethal weapons like rockets, munition, artillery systems and aviation.
The involvement of the United States in sending lethal weapons to Ukraine could lead to a sharp escalation of the conflict, Buzhinsky argued.
"In the United States there are proponents of permanent destabilization in Ukraine, Europe, and Russia. It was a group of experts headed by [National Security Adviser of the US President] Susan Rice and [US Vice-President] Joe Biden that compiled this report. You can't fail to have a feeling that there's something personal for the US President in the Ukrainian crisis," he said.
"Local combat action in the Debaltsevo pocket is unlikely to bring about a dramatic shift in the US position, although if the offensive continues, and fighting moves closer to the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as some self-defense leaders are claiming, the pressure on the White House will increase, and its position may change," he said.
Ukrainian authorities started a military operation in Donbas in April 2014 against local residents who refused to recognize the government that came to power after the February 2014 government coup. According to UN figures, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 civilians.
During his visit to the United States in September 2014, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko requested that US Congress and President Barack Obama provide lethal and non-lethal military equipment for the Ukrainian forces. The White House has so far refused his requests for weapons.
