Baltic states tout US-approved weapon shipments to Ukraine

WASHINGTON — The Baltic states have received approval from Washington to send American-made weaponry to Ukraine to help the country fend off a potential Russian invasion , according to a Jan. 21 joint statement by the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The announcement is the latest effort by select NATO allies to shore up Ukraine’s defenses, as Russian troops continue massing along the border between the two nations. Alliance governments fear Moscow is planning an invasion, which Russian officials have denied.

Estonia is donating an unspecified amount of Javelin anti-tank missiles, while Latvia and Lithuania are providing Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and related equipment, according to the statement. The U.S. government, as the weapons’ country of origin, approved the transfer, it added.

“Today Ukraine is at the forefront of separating Europe from the military conflict with Russia,” Estonian Defence Minister Kalle Laanet said. “Let’s face it: The war in Ukraine is ongoing and it is important to support Ukraine in every way we can so that they can resist the aggressor.”

Formerly under Soviet Union rule, the Baltic nations are wary of Russian attempts at recreating a sphere of influence reminiscent of Cold War geography. The three countries became NATO members in 2004, putting them under the alliance’s mutual-protection umbrella that candidate nation Ukraine does not formally enjoy.

“Today we have all the necessary approvals from the U.S. to send the weapons,” Laanet said. “With this we show that we support Ukraine not only with words but also with deeds. The allies are united, but there is always a need for those who show initiative. Estonia is definitely one of those countries.”

Estonia has a separate request pending to send another set of its weapons to Ukraine: decades-old Soviet howitzers. The artillery pieces were fielded by East Germany, absorbed into the German arsenal after reunification and given to Finland before ending up in Estonia. That means Berlin and Helsinki must approve a transfer.

As of Friday evening, the German government had yet to decide on the issue. A Defence Ministry spokesman told Defense News the question is now the subject of an interagency review and must be coordinated with the Finnish.

A reporter’s question about an expected timeline was left unanswered.

Germany so far has stuck to its guns in rejecting support to Ukraine through lethal equipment, though the matter has become the subject of heated debate in policy circles there. Still, leaders in Berlin have assured Kyiv of their backing, vowing to work through diplomatic means to resolve the standoff.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

华盛顿——根据爱沙尼亚、拉脱维亚和立陶宛国防部长 1 月 21 日发表的联合声明，波罗的海三国已获得华盛顿的批准，向乌克兰运送美国制造的武器，以帮助该国抵御俄罗斯可能发动的入侵。

此次声明是部分北约盟国为加强乌克兰防御而采取的最新举措，与此同时，俄罗斯军队正持续在两国边境集结。北约各国政府担心莫斯科正计划入侵乌克兰，但俄罗斯官员否认了这一说法。

声明称，爱沙尼亚将捐赠数量不详的“标枪”反坦克导弹，而拉脱维亚和立陶宛将提供“毒刺”防空导弹及相关设备。声明还补充说，作为武器原产国，美国政府已批准此次转让。

爱沙尼亚国防部长卡勒·拉内特表示：“如今，乌克兰在将欧洲从与俄罗斯的军事冲突中隔离出来方面发挥着至关重要的作用。我们必须正视现实：乌克兰的战争仍在继续，我们必须尽一切可能支持乌克兰，使其能够抵抗侵略者。”

波罗的海三国曾是苏联的殖民地，因此对俄罗斯试图重建类似冷战时期势力范围的企图保持警惕。这三个国家于2004年加入北约，从而享有北约的共同保护，而候选国乌克兰目前并不正式享有这种保护。

“今天我们已经获得了美国方面所有必要的批准，可以向乌克兰运送武器，”拉内特说。“这不仅表明我们口头上支持乌克兰，也表明我们用实际行动支持乌克兰。盟友们团结一致，但始终需要那些主动采取行动的国家。爱沙尼亚无疑就是这样的国家之一。”

爱沙尼亚另有一项请求正在等待审批，希望向乌克兰运送另一批武器：一批使用数十年的苏联榴弹炮。这些火炮最初由东德装备，两德统一后并入德国军火库，之后转交给芬兰，最终落入爱沙尼亚手中。这意味着柏林和赫尔辛基必须批准这项转让。

截至周五晚间，德国政府尚未就此问题作出决定。德国国防部发言人告诉《防务新闻》，该问题目前正在进行跨部门审查，并且必须与芬兰方面协调。

记者提出的关于预计时间表的问题没有得到解答。

尽管德国向乌克兰提供致命性武器支持一事已在德国政策圈内引发激烈辩论，但德国迄今为止仍坚持立场。不过，柏林领导人已向基辅保证会给予支持，并承诺将通过外交途径解决僵局。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。