On Tuesday’s “CNN Newsroom,” White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield stated that the arms that the Biden administration has initially opposed sending to Ukraine and now has sent to Ukraine are an effective and comprehensive list of the support the U.S. has provided to the country.
Co-host Victor Blackwell asked, “The President was asked about providing fighter jets to Ukraine. President Zelensky has asked for them. His answer was a flat no. However, we’ve heard that from the President, and then reconsideration and then giving the Ukrainians what they’ve asked for, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, that was a no. The Ukrainians now have them. Howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers with the precision rounds, also those were nos. They’re now going to Ukraine. The M1 Abrams tanks we just saw, the Patriot missile battery, those were nos. Those are now headed to Ukraine…Zelensky says, let’s skip the no, no, no, and okay, and just supply what we need now. Is there any reason to think that this is going to be different, that three months from now, those fighter jets will not be going to Ukrainians?”
Bedingfield responded, “I don’t have anything to add to what the President said yesterday. But I will say you just laid quite effectively and comprehensively all of the support, ammunitions, artillery, weapons that we have continued to provide to Ukraine and have continued to work with our allies to provide to Ukraine. We are obviously in constant communication with the Ukrainians about their battlefield needs and we will continue to be supportive.”
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