Egozi: Arm Deals Complicate Global Balance

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The US is on a collision course with Russia. The US President Trump confirmed and is about to confirm the sale of American weapons to states that are in military conflict with Russia.

This fact worries experts who evaluate that “one deal beyond” might bring about an escalation.

Russia severely opposes this American policy, and sources say that President Putin has been furious because he sees Washington’s policy as a personal blow against him.

It seems that the Russian operations in Syria are based on the rift between Moscow and Washington in defense issues.

Experts evaluate that this state of affairs might produce dangerous situations, because in some regions in the Middle East there is an increased presence of Russian and American forces, and sometimes as in the case of air forces – in close proximity.

The Trump administration has recently approved the export of lethal small arms including a multimillion-dollar sniper rifle deal, ramping up its support for Ukraine in the simmering conflict with Russia-backed separatists.

The US State Department said it had approved a license for US manufacturers to sell firearms and smaller weapons to Ukraine, including assault rifles, silencers, military scopes etc. The State Department claimed the license was “nothing new” since Ukraine has previously purchased small amounts of such weapons. according to telegraph.co.uk. But it was reported that the state department had approved a license for the $41.5 million commercial sale of .50 caliber Barrett M107A1 sniper rifles and ammunition to Ukraine.

Moscow condemned the move as likely to escalate violence.