World Affairs International

Ukraine’s NATO partners have increasingly endorsed the idea of sending heavy weapons to Ukraine, as the Ukrainian government gives warnings of what may be the fall of Mariupol. Ukrainian defenders, including the 36th Marine Brigade and the Azov battalion. Amidst loose investigations of a potential chemical attack, Russian forces have continued to apply pressure on Mariupol’s defenders, who have reported that they are running out of ammunition. Zelenskyy previously claimed the donation of heavy weapons could help lift the siege of Mariupol, but the idea of a successful Ukrainian defense of the city grows further with each passing hour.

Nevertheless, recent addresses from NATO governments have indicated a broader consensus on the idea of sending heavy weapons to Ukraine. The U.S. recently announced it did not object to the potential Slovakian donation of MiG-29 fighters, and German arms manufacturing company Rheinmetall said it was ready to send tanks to Ukraine if the government approved. British donations of anti-ship missiles and America’s contribution of switchblade drones, and the countless rounds of conventional munitions and javelins have flooded Ukraine with a significant and lethal force capable of seriously harming Russia’s Donbas offensive.

Recently, President Biden has acknowledged the Russian invasion of Ukraine as genocide. Before this statement could be walked back, President Zelenskyy took to Twitter to personally thank Biden for his words, prompting the White House to rephrase Biden’s remarks. Biden said that though the decision to recognize a genocide was up to lawmakers, it was his personal belief that Russia’s forces were engaged in genocidal actions.