U.S. authorizes Baltic states to send U.S. weapons to Ukraine

The United States authorized the Baltic countries to send U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine amid fears of a possible Russian invasion, officials said Thursday.

A State Department official in Berlin, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks about Ukraine, said the United States was "accelerating authorized transfers of U.S.-origin equipment from other allies."

Although Washington has no plans to send troops to Ukraine, it seeks to bolster its support to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine.

"European allies have what they need to move forward to provide security assistance to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks," said the official.

The approval of the request allows Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to send weapons to assist Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.

"We are in close contact with our Ukrainian partners and our NATO allies and are creatively using all available security cooperation tools to help Ukraine strengthen its defenses in the face of increasing Russian aggression," the State Department official continued.

While the exact number and types of weapons remain unknown, the Baltic nations' arsenals include Javelins, man-portable missiles capable of destroying tanks.

Thousands of Russian troops have been deployed near the Ukrainian border since late last year, raising concern in the three Baltic nations, which are NATO members.