The decision of the US State Department to transfer certain weapons to Ukraine is influenced by the lack of an active response from Russia, the Washington Post reports , citing its source. According to him, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is assessing the risks of escalation from the Russian side.
According to the source of the publication, several factors are taken into account in the decision-making process: the need for a certain type of weapon for Ukraine, whether the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to use it, whether the American side can provide it, and what could be the response of Russia to such actions by the United States.
In addition to Blinken, White House national security adviser Jack Sullivan is actively involved in this process. At the same time, the US presidential administration is under strong pressure from the "hawks" in Congress, who are dissatisfied with this approach and urge to supply Ukraine with all the types of weapons it needs as soon as possible.
At the start of the war in February 2022, Vladimir Putin promised an “immediate” response to the actions of a country that would “try to interfere” with Russia. The President of the Russian Federation promised that this answer would lead "to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history."
WP quotes Carnegie Endowment for International Peace expert Maxim Samorukov as saying that Russia has devalued any "red lines" by not following through on its threats.
Every time before supplying Ukraine with one or another new type of weapon, Washington and other allies usually stated that there was no question of their transfer to the Ukrainian side. Such statements were made about heavy Western tanks and F-16 fighters shortly before the announcement of their deliveries.