Seeking leverage with Russia, the Trump administration has reopened consideration of long-rejected plans to give Ukraine lethal weapons, even if that would plunge the United States deeper into the former Soviet republic's conflict. Awaiting Trump and his closest advisers is an authorization to provide Ukraine with anti-tank and potentially anti-aircraft capabilities, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plan. Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO who is known as a Russia hawk, supports arming Ukraine. "I hear these arguments that it's somehow provocative to Russia or that it's going to embolden Ukraine to attack. The objective now is to change Russia's strategic thinking, one official said, and providing defensive weapons to Ukraine would be one way to do that.

Source: Fox News August 14, 2017 07:30 UTC