Biden Does Not Fear Visit To Javelin Facility Will Escalate Ukraine Tensions - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd May, 2022) US President Joe Biden is not concerned that his visit to the Lockheed Martin facility that manufactures the Javelin anti-tank missiles sent to Ukraine will escalate the conflict there, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.

"No, he does not have that fear," Psaki said during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One when asked if Biden's visit to the facility later in the day will escalate the Ukraine conflict.

Psaki also said the Defense Department has the capacity and ability to backfill the Javelin missiles as well as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and added that the biggest challenge is getting additional funding to provide Ukraine with more security aid.

The United States has delivered some 5,500 Javelin missiles that have been allocated for Ukraine. Despite the Defense Department's assurances, the Biden administration is looking at alternative plans in case there are shortages, especially due to the lack of semiconductors since each Javelin requires more than 200 semiconductors to make.

Senator Richard Blumenthal said the United States has now distributed one-third of its available Javelin missiles, and it will take a year to ramp up to full production from the current annual purchasing level of 1,000 per year. Blumenthal estimated it could take up to 32 months to replenish the stocks. Producer Raytheon said it will probably not be until 2023-2024 before they can fully replenish the supplies of both, Javelin and Stinger missiles.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Xinhua that the United States and NATO should stop pouring weapons into Ukraine if they actually seek to bring the conflict to an end.