US sends weapons experts to Ukraine amid fears of misuse, diversion

The Biden administration has sent weapons experts to Ukraine to inspect US-supplied arms for use against Russia amid rising concerns among American lawmakers about their likely misuse and diversion.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder declared on Tuesday that inspections had been “in development for a while,” but did not unveil how many weapons experts were dispatched to Ukraine, when they had arrived and where they would operate, the Washington-based The Hill news outlet reported.

The group is among the first US military personnel in Ukraine, apart from those providing security at the US Embassy in Kiev.

The report further quoted a “senior Defense Department official” as saying, “We are keenly aware of the possible risk of illicit diversion and are proactively taking all available steps to prevent this from happening.”

The Defense Department official was also cited as noting that the weapons experts now in Ukraine have already conducted several inspections as part of the US Defense attaché in Ukraine and the US Office of Defense Cooperation. 

The announcement came amid growing concerns — particularly among Republicans — about how effectively Ukraine is utilizing massive American military aid to the country. The new policy focuses on efforts to stop the illegal trade or misuse of powerful weapons like Javelin and Stinger missile systems.

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly promised that American forces will not be deployed in Ukraine for combat.

According to the report, the Republican leader of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, set off a firestorm last month when he declared that the anticipated Republican majority in the next Congress would not issue a “blank check” to Ukraine.  

McCarthy and other right-wing Republican leaders, however, sought to clarify that the party would not seek to scale back support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, but it rather wanted to increase oversight of US military aid. 

The US has so far committed nearly $20 billion in military assistance to Kiev since January 2021, including rocket and air defense systems intended to help counter Russia’s superior military might. 

Meanwhile, while some Republicans have accused McCarthy of backing off Ukraine support, other right-wing Republicans have questioned the need to spend billions on the war. 

The weapons inspections, the report added, are part of a broader plan released by the State Department last week to counter the diversion of advanced US armaments shipped to Ukraine. It further conceded that Russian forces capturing the weapons were the main source of weapons loss so far in the war.  

“Wars can provide opportunities for weapons to fall into private hands via theft or illicit sales, sometimes creating black markets for arms that endure for decades,” said a fact sheet on the plan.  

To counter that risk, it added, the US will work with Ukraine’s military and other officials to better account for and safeguard weapons, identify and investigate suspected arms trafficking, and ramp up monitoring on Ukraine’s borders. 

US fears more alleged supply of Iran arms to Russia 

Meanwhile, Ryder also claimed on Tuesday that Russia may seek to purchase advanced weapons from Iran to maintain the upper hand in the Ukraine conflict.

“We do have concerns that Russia may also seek to acquire additional advanced munition capabilities from Iran, for example, surface-to-surface missiles, to use in Ukraine,” Ryder said during a press briefing. 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman once again denied strongly repeated Western claims of Iranian delivery of weapons and drones to Russia for use against Ukraine, insisting that while Tehran maintains a long-running defense cooperation with Moscow, it pursues a resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialog and diplomacy.

Iran again denies drones delivery to Russia, says pursues diplomacy to help end Ukraine war

Iran firmly rejects arms delivery to Russia, saying it has for long had defense cooperation with Moscow and pursues the resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Washington’s claim of Russia's purchase of advanced Iranian weaponry – though fiercely denied by Moscow and Tehran – comes despite repeated, boastful claims that the unprecedented US-led global sanctions against Iran for the past four decades have crippled the country’s economy and major industries.

Ryder’s claims followed a CNN report earlier in the day alleging that Iran was preparing to send Russia about 1,000 additional weapons, including more drones and for the first time, surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles.  

The mainstream US-based news network has established itself as one of the main sources of misinformation against the Islamic Republic, often citing unidentified and unverifiable news sources.

Riyadh warn US of looming Iran attacks on Saudis, Iraq: Report

The developments come as right-wing US daily Wall Street Journal claimed on Tuesday that the Saudi Kingdom has alarmed Washington of “an imminent Iranian attack” on targets in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, adding that the US military now stands on heightened alert.

The daily further cited unnamed US and Saudi officials as claiming that the Saudi regime “shared intelligence with Washington indicating the elevated danger, causing Saudi Arabia, the US and other neighboring countries to raise the alert level for their military forces.”

Asked about the report later on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Ryder said he would not talk about specific force protection levels but that US officials “do remain concerned about the threat situation in the region.” 

Pressed on whether the Saudis provided anything to the United States in the past few days that would be a cause for concern, Ryder said he did not have any additional information to provide. 

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