Russian sources are spreading information that the United States began supplying weapons to Ukraine as early as September 2021, preparing it for aggression against Russia. To support this claim, propagandists refer to an interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for The New York Times.

In fact, this information has been debunked by VoxCheck. On January 4, 2025, Antony Blinken did indeed comment on the Biden administration's policy towards Ukraine in an interview with The New York Times. However, he emphasized that the supply of weapons in 2021 was aimed at strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities in response to the threat of a Russian invasion.

“We were able to anticipate the beginning of the conflict and ensure readiness not only for ourselves but also for our allies, partners, and Ukraine. We took care to quietly provide Ukraine with significant amounts of weaponry starting in September and continuing in December before the Russian aggression began. This allowed Ukraine to be equipped with everything necessary for defense, including systems like Stinger and Javelin. They played a key role in deterring Russian aggression: they helped prevent the capture of Kyiv, the occupation of the country, its erasure from the map, and forced Russian troops to retreat”, said Blinken.

It is important to note that the assistance provided by the US in 2021 included only defensive means: anti-tank systems, small arms, ammunition, radios, and medical equipment. Ukraine was not supplied with heavy equipment necessary for an offensive. Moreover, this assistance was a response to the Russian troop buildup near Ukraine’s borders. In the spring of 2021, Russia concentrated around 100,000-120,000 soldiers and heavy weaponry there. By January 2022, Blinken warned that such a concentration of Russian forces posed a real threat of full-scale invasion, which necessitated strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Furthermore, the supply of weapons to Ukraine was not secret. Both Ukrainian and international media openly reported it. In September 2021, Ukraine and the US signed a Framework Agreement on Strategic Defense Partnership, which officially confirmed a new military assistance package worth $60 million to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Russian propaganda manipulates the facts to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and justify its own invasion. These manipulations also aim to undermine trust in Western support for Ukraine and reduce the volume of international aid. Earlier, we debunked the claim that Western countries started refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons because they want to stop supporting the war.