Lawmakers are calling on the administration to share U.S. intelligence with Ukraine about Russian troops massed on the country’s eastern border, in order to help Ukrainian forces defend themselves against an invasion.
“I don’t think we’re doing enough — I think we should be sharing more [intelligence],” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who recently came back from a visit to Ukraine. This week, pro-Russian demonstrations provoked fears that President Vladimir Putin might mount a second invasion in Ukraine just weeks after annexing Crimea.
{mosads}”I think there is more we could do to help Ukraine prepare, that doesn’t put at risk any of our intelligence gathering methods, or the degree to which we can track Russian military movements,” Schiff said during an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Reps. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), Michael Turner (R-Ohio) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) called on the administration to provide Ukrainian forces with U.S. intelligence, military advice and technical support.
According to Turner, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove has identified 80,000 Russian troops along the Ukraine border that are part of an “invasion-ready force” that includes field hospitals.
Schiff acknowledged U.S. officials were concerned that shared intelligence would end up in the hands of Russian intelligence agencies, and said “we have to be careful what we share that doesn’t disclose sources and methods of our intelligence gathering.”
“But even with those limitations, I think there’s a lot we can do to help Ukraine prepare to know what it is up against and how to maximize its limited resources in the event of a conflict,” he said.
The U.S. has already provided 300,000 Meals-Ready-to-Eat for Ukrainian forces, and is in the process of reviewing other requests for military aid.