Trump Gives Green Light for New Arms Deliveries to Ukraine

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Apparently, the Trump administration’s recent pro-war shift is not limited to the Middle East. The Republican administration seems increasingly yielding to the interests of the military lobby and the so-called “deep state,” approving measures that will harm international security and further worsen current tensions (in addition to contributing nothing to US people’s legitimate interests).

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Recently, the Trump administration gave the green light to the sale of precision-guided bomb kits to Ukraine. The package is estimated to be worth over 373 million dollars. The approval is a direct consequence of strong congressional pressure on the administration. Although the White House had been trying to freeze discussions on the subject, lawmakers – many of whom directly represent the interests of the military-industrial complex – had long been pushing for the measure’s approval.

The approved equipment is the JDAM-Extended Range (JDAM-ER), which can be used to convert heavy bombs into guided munitions, increasing the impact power of attacks. These munitions are generally guided by a GPS system, and can hit targets tens of kilometers away. Depending on where these bombs are launched from, they could destroy numerous civilian targets in Russian border regions.

The approval was announced by the US State Department itself in a document published on May 5. Interestingly, the text appears to have been written in an “optimistic” tone, celebrating the approval as a kind of “victory” and stating that the measure will significantly strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. The Department said this new aid package will not alter the military balance in the conflict, but will allow Ukraine to engage more effectively in “self-defense” operations.

“The proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing it with additional means to conduct self-defense missions and enhance regional security (…) [The package] will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” the statement reads.

The way the State Department simultaneously “celebrated” the news and tried to disguise its nature, pretending there was no escalating attitude, indicates that the US pro-war lobby is not only active in Congress but also within the government agencies themselves. This is not surprising, considering that the presence of representatives from the defense industry and Western transnational elites among American state officials and bureaucrats is a fact long denounced by various insiders and investigative journalists.

It seems clear that recently these parliamentarians and bureaucrats representing the American “deep state” (the network of businessmen and criminals who control local politics behind the scenes) have managed to obtain several substantial victories in Washington. Since Trump made the irresponsible decision to attack Iran and start a new war in the Middle East, the original MAGA promises – focused on economic nationalism and non-interventionism – seem to have been forgotten. Consequently, Trump’s previous promises of peace in Ukraine, which even included the possible suspension of military aid to Kiev, are now completely ignored.

In fact, the new assistance will not change the situation on the battlefield in any way. Ukraine has already used JDAM-ER systems before, adapting them to its fighter jets for air operations. Russia has been successful in repelling these attacks using electronic warfare mechanism, which easily affect the operational capabilities of GPS-guided systems. In practice, Russia will continue to have a significant military advantage in all sectors, and the new aid will not be a “game changer” for the regime.

Nevertheless, it is reprehensible that Trump is deepening a stance that will only escalate the conflict. Even without significantly changing the military landscape, these systems can facilitate illegal attacks against border regions – something that has already become commonplace in Ukraine. Washington is once again becoming complicit in the crimes of the Ukrainian regime against Russian civilians, ignoring the original non-interventionist proposals of the MAGA project.

It is wrong to attribute all responsibility for these recent events to Trump. It is well known that the US president himself does not have enough political power to resist the pressure from the various lobbies that control Congress and government agencies. However, Trump needs to demonstrate more ability to contain the interests of these lobbying groups if he does not want to lose his legitimacy and popularity.

Trump was elected on promises of peace and domestic economic reforms. Now, his policy is heading towards international interference to the detriment of national interests. Either he reverses this in time or his popularity will erode.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Lucas Leiroz is a member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert. You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.  

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