Small number of US troops deployed to Ukraine attempt to stop weapons smuggling

 

National Interest/Reuters. 

A small number of US troops have been deployed to Ukraine in an attempt to stop weapons smuggling. National Interest. It is unclear how many troops have been sent to inspect Ukrainian weapons shipments and where those inspections taken place. These inspections happened before the war but were suspended after the conflict began. It is unclear why inspections began again but there have been allegations that Ukraine has lost weapons that have ended up on the black market. The White House denies these allegations. The troops would be deployed far away from the front lines, though Russia has regularly attacked US arms shipments. 

My Comment:

This is a very disturbing development in the Ukraine War. In my view there shouldn't be a single US soldier in Ukraine under any circumstances. And if the government is worried that weapons sent to Ukraine are reaching the black market then they should stop all shipments and they should have done it yesterday. I'd go so far as to either take back or destroy the weapons we have already sent there. 

Unfortunately, reasonable Ukraine policy has not existed since Joe Biden took the White House. He seems bound and determined to start a nuclear war with Russia and putting these troops in harm's way is a very good way to do that. Russia has made these weapons shipments are major priority and they have had success in destroying them in the past. A handful of dead American troops could be used as an excuse to further escalate the war. 

I don't believe for even a second that the White House claims that no weapons have reached the black market. Not only have I seen internet postings advertising these weapons, it would be insane to argue that a country as corrupt and impoverished as Ukraine wouldn't have many of these weapons getting sent to the black market. These weapons have reached the black market and I bet at least some of these weapons were sold to the Russians. 

But I also don't think that that these inspectors will do all that much. These inspectors will be far from the front lines and that is where I am guessing a lot of where these weapons go missing. I really don't think that much will be accomplished by these inspectors there, which is another reason I don't think they should be there. 

It's also possible that Russia will see this as a major escalation. Russia is already furious with the west and is preparing for a major offensive. I think it is very possible that they will redouble their efforts to target weapons shipments or perhaps even target these troops directly. They are legitimate military targets and I wouldn't blame them if they tried to take them out. 

As for the war itself, I still maintain that the goal for all sides at this point should be to end the war. Nobody gains from it, other than the US defense industry, and even they will lose out if the war inevitably escalates to a nuclear exchange. Even if that doesn't happen, the war has killed thousands of people on all sides and has caused untold global economic damage. It needs to stop now before it gets worse. 

I do hope that the 2022 midterms will result in a Republican Senate and Congress who might be more willing cut supplies to Ukraine. We have obviously spent more than enough money and it's utterly insane that Biden is asking for another $50 billion in aid and will probably pass it during the congressional lame duck session.