U.S. Senate approves USD 500 mln in defense spending for Ukraine
19 September 2017
The U.S. Senate approved on Sept. 18 a USD 700 bln
national defense budget that includes USD 500 mln in defense and security
spending for Ukraine that allows for providing lethal, defensive weapons. These
include anti-aircraft radar, anti-mine devices and coastal defense ships,
reported Ukrainian President Poroshenko on his Facebook page. The funds are
earmarked to strengthen the Ukrainian air force and army, he said. They also
cover the cost of treating injured Ukrainian soldiers in American hospitals.
NATO should provide Ukraine with “defensive systems,”
tweeted from the Donbas front on Sept. 18 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former
NATO secretary general who is advising the Ukrainian president.
Zenon Zawada: We don’t
expect U.S. President Trump to approve lethal, defensive weapons for Ukraine.
While he has abandoned the prospects for improving relations, we also believe
he doesn’t want to risk escalating the conflict, as warned by Russian President
Putin. Also Russia is not as much a priority for Trump as North Korea, China
and the Islamic State.
armed conflict will escalate. We believe this works to Putin’s advantage ahead
of the 2019 elections in Ukraine. Russian-oriented forces will campaign for an
end to warfare, which will appeal to a morally and economically exhausted
public. They will also point to Poroshenko’s failure in resolving the war.
