The Pentagon did not rule out the possibility of supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons
WASHINGTON, 20 Jun — RIA Novosti, Dmitry Zlatarev. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis on Tuesday did not rule out a situation in which the United States can begin supplying lethal arms to Ukraine.
“We didn’t provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons in the past, but do not exclude such an option in the future,” he told reporters.
In early may, the U.S. Senate has approved the draft Federal budget until September 30, 2017, which continues to provide financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of not less than 410 million 456 thousand US dollars, including for the provision of military support. It is noted that the Pentagon can spend $ 150 million to “provide assistance, including (military) training equipment, lethal weapons for defense purposes, assistance in logistics” and “using intelligence to military and national security forces of Ukraine”.
Russia has repeatedly warned against plans arms deliveries to Ukraine, because this step will only lead to the escalation of the conflict in the Donbass. As repeatedly stated by the press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, the supply of weapons to Ukraine from the outside will not contribute to resolving the crisis in the Donbas and the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Against arms shipments to Ukraine voted most European politicians. Thus, the ex-foreign Minister of Germany, former Chairman of the OSCE, the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said earlier that the supply of weapons to Ukraine are very risky and counterproductive way out of the crisis. The Chairman of the NATO military Committee Petr Pavel said that he sees no need to supply lethal weapons to Kiev, because it “will only increase the suffering of the people.”