The former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, David Petraeus, and former high-ranking American diplomat, John Herbst, called on the US government to increase military assistance to Ukraine, explaining that the relative calm in eastern Ukraine is only a tactical trick of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

"Despite the reduced level of open Russian aggression, it seems that this is a temporary tactic to have the sanctions lifted despite the expansion of Russian military intervention in Syria," as stated in a Wall Street Journal article co-written by Patraeus and Herbst.

The authors of the article noted that Ukraine has created a powerful line of defense, coming from the port city of Mariupol and extending north. Thousands of troops, outfitted with heavy weapons, will be required to break through the defensive position of the Ukrainian Army. "The West can make such an operation cost prohibitive for the Kremlin if an infusion of defensive weapons is made properly," they noted.

According to Petraeus and Herbst, Ukraine is in great need of portable anti-tank dfenses in order to compensate for Moscow’s advantage in armored vehicles and additional anti-artillery radars.

The authors noted that Barack Obama’s Administration has supplied two such radar systems but it is necessary to supply more and their coverage range should reach the Russian border as Moscow launches missiles on Ukrainian troops from within Russian territory. Ukraine will also benefit from modern drones and secure communications and control systems, the authors noted.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, signed Obama, provides for the allocation of military assistance to Kiev amounting to $300 million, including $50 million on lethal defensive weapons. "The time has come for the U.S.A. to provide the necessary equipment to help Ukraine ensure their security and protect American and transatlantic interests which are at risk," Petraeus and Herbst wrote.

  Russia, US, US Weapons for Ukraine, Ukraine

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