The US journal Foreign Affairs conducted a survey of some experts on their opinions on the possible supply of arms to Ukraine.
18 out of 27 experts opposed this, saying that such actions will only lead to further deterioration of the situation.
"Ukraine without a doubt is in a quandary, but the claim that US security (and even NATO and Europe) is inseparable from Ukrainian security is unfounded and unconvincing. The start of confrontation with Russia in the neighboring regions, which means for its interests much more than for the interests of the United States, is a bad and even dangerous idea," Professor of Political Science of City College of New York, a senior researcher of the Saltzman Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Rajan Menon, is quoted by RIA Novosti.
Associate Professor at the School of International Service at tge American University in Washington, Keith Darden, expressed the view that the fact that such a question exists only feeds the illusion that government forces can win on the battlefield, and reduce the likelihood of settlement. He believes that the Ukrainian government has no alternative "to the bitter pill of decentralization, non-aligned status and closing schemes for corrupt leaders of the country, who used to steal huge amounts of money."
In this situation, the West teases their "unrealistic hope that the Ukrainian troops could be well-funded and armed for a proxy war between Russia and the West."
In turn, an expert from the International University of Texas, Joshua Etzkowitz Shifrinson, rejected the thesis of the existence of purely defensive weapons. Bureaucratic lists, which list certain types of weapons as defensive, ignore the realities of war. "Defensive assistance can be used for offensive purposes," he said.
The expert also pointed out that the population of the east of Ukraine is very motivated to ensure separation from Kiev or limit its influence in the region. "Only a settlement between the Ukrainian government and the rebels and Moscow can put an end to violence, and US military aid will confuse the distribution of forces in the conflict and force all parties to fight fiercely and long," says Shifrinson.
"Arming Ukraine will lead to an escalation of violence, but won't force Putin to bow to Western demands," Professor John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago told the magazine, adding that military aid to Kiev also would cause damage to the transatlantic relationship, as European countries, especially Germany, are firmly opposed to arming Ukraine.
