Ukraine’s military aid from European allies — Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia– needs approval from the United States State Department, which has not come through so far. Ukraine currently faces an active threat of invasion from Russia.

According to reports from Politico citing officials from the Baltic countries, lethal combat weapons made by the United States are bound by export regulations and can not be given to another country unless the State Department approves a transfer. 

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These weapons include anti-armor and ground-to-air missiles. The process can reportedly take months before approval is given and is currently stuck in Washington DC’s layers of authorisations.

Media reports suggest that the threat of an invasion may cause a ripple effect in the Baltic region, mainly those that are part of NATO’s military alliance.

Politico reported that Belarus can be a key player in the tensions and quoted an unnamed State Department official saying, “Russia could intend to station troops in Belarus under the guise of joint military exercises in order to potentially attack Ukraine from the north.”

Meanwhile, the White House seems to be showing constant urgency to address the eastern European tensions. United States President Joe Biden address the Ukrainian situation in his east room address on Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, “We are now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine.”

Also Read: Russia says it will take nothing less but NATO expansion ban

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a hastily planned trip to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He further plans to meet NATO allies in Berlin.

Russia maintained a tough posture Wednesday amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning that Moscow will accept nothing less but “watertight” US guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.