Would Ukraine Fall Without U.S. Weapons?

An F-16 “Falcon” aircraft assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wi. trails behind a KC-135 “Stratotanker” aircraft assigned to the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh Pa. while making an approach to receive fuel. Both aircraft are participating in an exercise conducted by NORAD near the northern United States border. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Hatcher) Public domain.

When Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbas in 2014, Ukraine’s military was impoverished and broken into regional battalions — some of these units were moderately capable, but most were gutted by years of neglect.

Many troops didn’t have uniforms or equipment and their morale was much more in line with Russian morale today — that is to say, abysmal.

At the time, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appealed to the United States for help, but President Obama declined to send offensive weapons; opting instead to send protective gear and defensive supplies only.

By 2018, President Trump agreed to send a limited number of anti-tank Javelins to Ukraine, but this was more at the urging of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis than any real desire to help the Ukrainians. After all, we know now that Trump’s first impeachment centered around his withholding of military aid to influence Ukraine to announce an investigation into his political opponent Joe Biden.

But between 2014 and the current Russian invasion in 2022, one crucial thing happened that helped shape the Ukrainian armed forces into the fighting force they are today: The U.S. and NATO performed numerous training operations and joint military exercises with the Ukrainian armed forces.