US House committee approves $200 million for arming Ukraine

[Chef Ramsay]

Citing an anti-Russia policy brief, US lawmakers approved $200 million for providing “lethal weapons of a defensive nature” to the Ukrainian government as part of the $600 billion Pentagon budget proposal for the fiscal year 2016.

The House Armed Services Committee passed its proposal for the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a bipartisan vote of 60 to 2, in what Defense News described as a “marathon” session that ended around 4:30am on Thursday.

Section 1532 of the 498-page document calls for the US to provide assistance, “including training, equipment, lethal weapons of a defensive nature, logistics support, supplies and services, and sustainment to the military and national security forces of Ukraine” through the end of September 2016.

In addition to the $200 million allocated for the program, the proposal also authorizes the Pentagon to “accept and retain contributions, including in-kind contributions, from foreign governments.”

The bill says the purpose of the assistance is to back the government of Ukraine in “protecting and defending the Ukrainian people from attacks posed by Russian-backed separatists,” as well as “securing its sovereign territory against foreign aggressors” and “promoting the conditions for a negotiated settlement to end the conflict.”

The NDAA sub-section dealing with weapons for Kiev specifically referenced a February 2015 report authored by a coalition of foreign policy think-tanks urging the US and NATO to resist “Russian aggression.”

Chaired by Texas Republican Mac Thornberry, the committee recognized that the White House has done much to provide “nonlethal security assistance” to Kiev, including a $75 million commitment announced last month, but nonetheless “believes that defensive weapons and training are also necessary to enhance the defense of Ukraine.”

Members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived in Ukraine earlier this month as part of a training program aimed at Kiev’s military and security forces, prompting the Russian Foreign Ministry to question Washington’s motives.

“What will these foreign military experts teach them – how to continue killing those who speak Russian?” asked Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich.

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http://rt.com/usa/254757-house-committee-lethal-aid-ukraine/

[scryptasicminer]

The congress should pay the expense themselves then.

[bryant.coleman]

A ceasefire has been in place and the fighting has almost completely stopped for more than a month now in Donbass. And now the United States is doing what it can, to re-ignite the fighting. But personally, I don't think that a $200 million loan to the junta forces will make it any more competitive against the militia forces. Junta generals will steal the money, leaving the soldiers without weapons and ammunition.

[Aggressor66]

It's a token amount. To change the tide you need billions, well trained soldiers, months of preparation and motivated personnel. The only thing that keep the UAF afloat is their numbers. To me it seems like they are just throwing some wood on the fire to keep the conflict from dying a natural death. Either there won't be a conflict or this will be the last truce.