U.S. commander: Arming Ukraine increases pressure on Putin: There's no expectation Ukraine could defeat Russia militarily if given American weapons, but they could add "muscle" to diplomatic efforts, the commander of U.S. Army Europe said Tuesday.
While emphasizing the U.S. still seeks a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said in Berlin that helping Ukraine with weapons would increase the stakes for Russian President Vladimir Putin at home.
"When mothers start seeing sons come home dead, when that price goes up, then that domestic support begins to shrink," he said.
The Obama administration is still considering whether to provide lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that such a move might encourage Russia to further escalate its involvement there.
