Military assistance to Kiev would be provided in the coming days, U.S. Ambassador
18.08.2016 – 22:29
The supply of arms by the United States of America in Ukraine in the coming days, said the US Ambassador in Kiev Jeffrey Payette.
Earlier, former Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that insists on granting to Kiev from NATO “defensive weapons”.
“The United States has provided Ukraine assistance to ensure the security of 600 million dollars. And I’m very proud of what has been achieved and our military exercises in Yavoriv, and modern weapons, even more thousands of night vision devices. New deliveries will be in the coming days. Thanks to this assistance, many lives of Ukrainian soldiers were saved,” said Payette in an interview to Ukrainian “Radio Liberty”, released on Thursday.
According to him, the defense system that the United States supply Ukraine, has already played an important role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
The United States provided military aid to Kiev, but officially only in the form of uniforms and equipment, and not “lethal weapons”. In addition, in the West American instructors are training soldiers of the National guard.
As stated earlier, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Valeriy Chaly, the question of deliveries to Ukraine of American lethal weapons may be reviewed by the USA after the presidential elections, which are scheduled for the end of the year. Earlier Chaly said that this year in the American budget is the largest ever amount of aid to the Kiev — more than $ 600 million.
Of these, 330 million will be spent on security and defense, and 50 million can go to lethal weapon, but this decision of the White house yet.
Moscow has repeatedly warned against plans arms deliveries to Ukraine, because this step will only lead to the escalation of the conflict in the Donbass. Against arms shipments to Ukraine voted most European politicians.
So, the foreign Minister of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said earlier that the supply of arms to Ukraine is 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.”
