US may supply Ukraine weapons and ammunition seized from smugglers off Yemen’s coast 

The WSJ reported the information.

US officials said they plan to send Ukraine more than 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a small number of anti-tank missiles and more than 7,000 non-contact fuses seized in recent months off the coast of Yemen from smugglers suspected of working for Iran.

This unusual move would open up a new stockpile of firepower that America and its allies could use as they try to meet Ukraine's need for military support as its war with Russia enters its second year.

According to the Pentagon, the US has provided Ukraine with more than 100 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

The challenge for the Biden administration is to find a legal justification for withdrawing weapons from one conflict and transferring them to another. The UN arms embargo requires the US and its allies to destroy, store, or dispose of seized weapons.

However, Biden could resolve the legal issue by drafting an executive order or working with Congress to give the US the authority to seize weapons and send them to Ukraine. Moreover, both parties in Washington support this concept.

Rifles and ammunition have been confiscated in recent months by the US and France as part of a global effort focused primarily on preventing Iran from smuggling weapons into Yemen.

Typically, the weapons are seized and destroyed by the US and its allies, who are complying with the UN arms embargo on Yemen. But US officials have said that global efforts to supply Ukraine with weapons have sparked a discussion about sending confiscated military supplies to Kyiv.