Obama Approves Additional $98 Million In Non-Lethal Aid To Ukraine To Help Fight Pro-Russian Separatists

The United States has announced that it will provide an additional AU$98 million ($75 million) in non-lethal aid to Ukraine’s military forces. The Obama administration also revealed it will impose sanctions against several pro-Russian separatists and other individuals who were involved in the promotion of civil war in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has requested the U.S. to send weapons to aid the government in fighting the insurgents. Several administration officials and members of Congress in both parties have also urged the U.S. President Barack Obama to provide weapons to Ukraine’s military.

However, the U.S. has decided to send surveillance drones, countermortar radar systems, military ambulances, radios and first aid kits, reports the New York Times. President Obama also agreed to send 300 unarmored Humvees and 30 armored Humvees.

The U.S. Vice-President, Joseph Biden had called Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to inform him of the additional aid. In a statement, the White House mentioned reports of Russia and proxy fighters in Ukraine were completely observing the cease-fire agreement brokered in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

The White House also said Russian soldiers continue to fight alongside the separatists with more weapons being sent across the border. Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe were reportedly blocked.

White House press secretary John Earnest said the U.S. remains concerned about the commitment of Russia and the Russian-backed separatists to honour the agreement in Minsk. He added that the failure to observe the ceasefire agreement will only put Russia “at greater risk of facing additional costs.”

The Obama administration is closely watching the situation in Ukraine to see if the Minsk agreement is being observed. Violence in eastern Ukraine has declined sharply with some heavy weapons withdrawn from the front lines. However, the U.S. State Department recently reported that more Russian tanks, heavy artillery and armored vehicles were being sent over the border to separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has imposed sanctions against 14 pro-Russian separatists and Russians. The assets of Alexander Dugin, an extreme Russian nationalist closely associated with the Ukraine crisis, will be frozen along with others like him who destabilised the situation in eastern Ukraine. BBC News reports that Russia has found the new sanctions “difficult to understand.”

Russian Foreign Deputy Minister Sergei Ryabkov told news agency Interfax that Moscow does not see any link between the crisis in Ukraine and the latest wave of sanctions. The U.S. and the European leaders have used sanctions to retaliate on Russia for its annexation of Crimea and support to separatists in eastern Ukraine.

To report problems or leave feedback on this article, contact: r.su@ibtimes.com.au