US Armed Services Committee supports proposal to supply Ukraine with weapons
American Senators proposed to allocate $500 million for assistance to Ukraine, including allocation of funds on lethal weapons.
According to the information released on the website of the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain, the U.S. Senate proposes to provide $500 million for assistance to Ukraine, including allocation of funds for lethal weapons in the draft budget for 2017. On the 13th of May, Senators announced the completion of work on the draft budget of the U.S. national defense for 2017.
On the 12th of May, the U.S Senate Committee on Armed Services supported the draft law, allowing allocation of $602 billion to finance the needs of the U.S. Department of Defense and national programs on security of the U.S. Department of Energy. McCain noted that strong allies and partners are vital for U.S. national security.
In this context, it was noted that the draft law allows allocation of $500 million for security assistance to Ukraine, including financial assistance for lethal weapons. The allocation of these funds to Ukraine is restricted by the draft law.
That’s why the country can get only $250 million and the remaining funds will only be given after Ash Carter testifies that Ukraine has taken significant steps aimed at implementing institutional reforms in the defense system with regard to the issue of the fight against corruption.
Earlier, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, stated that the USA avoids providing lethal weapons to Ukraine to avoid escalation of the conflict in the Donbas.