Secretary of Council of national security and defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said that Kyiv is experiencing a shortage of lethal weapons. He said this during the meeting with the Director of the Department of state security of Lithuania Darius Jauniskis, reports the press service of the NSDC.
“Issues of military-technical cooperation with our Western partners, in particular, the provision of lethal weapons, is still not resolved,” said Turchynov.
He added that now all deliveries of weapons to the army of the country provides the Ukrainian defense industry, “but to effectively counter the aggressor this is not enough”.
On 13 April the Verkhovna Rada Dmitry Tymchuk said that Washington may stop to help the Armed forces of Ukraine (AFU), if their leaders do not conduct the necessary reforms.
March 17, Turchinov blamed the West’s reluctance to supply weapons because of the fear to irritate Russia.
In early March, the assistant Secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Michael carpenter said that since the beginning of the conflict in the Donbass, the United States granted the Kiev military aid to $ 265 million. “These funds were spent on the exercises and different equipment — from radar to night vision devices, radios, vehicles and patrol boats, and the like,” added carpenter.
The armed conflict in the Donbas began in April 2014, after Kiev authorities announced the start of the antiterrorist operation (ATO) — as in Kiev called an attempt of forceful suppression of protests in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, caused by the change of power in Ukraine. Kiev authorities repeatedly called an “aggressor” and accused of supporting militias in the East of Ukraine. In Moscow deny these allegations, pointing to the lack of evidence and stressing that Russia is not a party to the Ukrainian conflict.
