(PresidentialWire.com)- There have been growing concerns that the US is not providing Ukraine with the weapons systems necessary to beat back any potential Russian invasion.
And during a press briefing last week, Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin grilled Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on why the US was not sending Ukraine the military aid they specifically requested. Griffin noted rather than just send tanks and ammunition, Ukraine had requested air defensive systems that could take on the Russian air force like anti-aircraft missiles.
Instead of directly responding to Griffin’s question, Kirby deflected, saying the US had sent three shipments of military aid and “there are more coming.” What that military aid consists of, however, Kirby would not say.
He explained that the Pentagon wants to be careful not to publicly advertise what kinds of weapons are being provided to Ukraine.
Griffin pressed Kirby further, asking what has been taking so long to get military assistance to Ukraine, adding “it just seems like this is the 11th hour.”
Kirby took issue with Griffin’s description, arguing that there is “no 11th hour here, Jen.” He said in the last year, the US provided millions of dollars of military aid to Ukraine. Again, he would not say what that military aid consisted of, only describing its purpose as helping to “bolster the self-defense capabilities” of Ukraine’s armed forces. Then he repeated that there is no 11th hour, adding he took issue with Griffin’s description of an 11th hour.
Griffin hit back, saying she didn’t know why he would take issue with it when senior administration officials, including the president, have been calling the Russian invasion “imminent.”
Kirby dismissed Griffin’s remarks, saying that just because the invasion is imminent doesn’t mean the administration “just woke up to the fact” that Russia has been moving forces to the Ukraine border.
Oddly enough, just one week later, the administration has changed its tune on using the word “imminent.”
During her press briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the White House has stopped using the word “imminent” because they think it sends the wrong message, namely, that the White House knows what Putin plans to do.
It’s more likely, however, the White House dropped the “imminent” talk because Ukraine’s President told them to stop because it was creating a panic.
