On the eve of the first meeting of the presidents of the United States and Russia on the sidelines of the G20 in Hamburg, the Senate encourages the Administration of the trump to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons. This is referred to in endorsed by the Committee on armed Affairs appropriations bill for national defense in 2018. The document envisages the allocation to Ukraine $500 million to fight Pro-Russian militants, extends the current ban on direct cooperation of the Pentagon, the Russian military proposes to start developing a new programme of offensive missile ground-based and send $4.6 billion to strengthen security on the Eastern flank of Europe. The bill even provides for a US withdrawal from the Contract on liquidation of rockets of average and small range, which in 1987 was signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. According to the Senator, the project was a response to Russia’s intervention in the American presidential election. But not the fact that this revision be approved by the Senate, adopted by the House of representatives and signed by Donald trump. Especially in the part of granting Ukraine lethal weapons, because, as before, the last word in this matter for the administration of the President of the United States.
Over the past six months the issue of granting Ukraine lethal weapons Washington raised more than once. Few people remember, but before appointment to the post of Secretary of state at a hearing of the Senate Rex Tillerson stated that he would support granting Ukraine lethal defensive weapons. Immediately after the inauguration of Donald trump the head of the Committee on armed services of the house of representatives Mac Thornberry said that the supply of weapons to Kiev to support both houses of Congress. Ukrainian foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin hastened to reply, “we definitely need more high-tech defensive weapons,” adding that the Administration trump, there are people who support it.
Scandals involving the investigation of Russia’s intervention in the American presidential elections, the resignation of the US presidential Advisor on national security Mike Flynn, dismissal trump, FBI Director James Comey and has repeatedly appeared in the media information about the plans of the new Administration to move closer to Moscow only accelerated the process. Besides, the approval of the Committee on armed services the Senate bill on the defense budget, which among other things provides for the granting Ukraine lethal weapons, was preceded by long negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities and U.S. high-ranking officials.
During his visit to Washington in mid-June, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andrei Parubiy said that the issue of granting Ukraine lethal weapons not removed from the agenda. “On the issue of debate. And if earlier it was a negative decision, today the question remains open,” – said paruby.
Then, many Ukrainian experts have called his words a fiction, after all knew the negative stance of the past and the inertia of the American Administration – the provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine could derail the team’s plans trump rapprochement with Moscow. Yes, and it is unknown how it will affect and so the turbulent situation in the Donbass. But later it became known that this issue was discussed during a visit to Washington the Ukrainian delegation headed by Poroshenko. But agree, judging by the Ukrainian President, has failed.
“Regarding the defence agreements we actually have an agreed-upon text. I can say that in the near future, within two to three months we expect the visit of the Minister of defense in Ukraine, and during this visit we hope that agreements will be signed,” – said Poroshenko.
In an interview with Reuters, the Deputy Director General on foreign economic activity “Ukroboronprom” Denis gurak who explained that now is the preparation of two framework agreements that will facilitate the development of joint research and development in the military sphere, and facilitate the access of Ukraine to the U.S. defense market. For example, will accelerate the process of procurement Ukraine drones and radar and will give the opportunity to produce a piece of American military equipment in Ukraine. But about defensive lethal weapons, according to Goraka, it is not.
In this case, it all depends on the bill approved by the house armed services Committee Affairs of the Senate, and the political will of the house of representatives, and, of course, the Administration of Donald trump. But first the Senate, after all, by the bill, as it appeared, not all so is simple. That approved the armed services Committee Senate business, according to former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer, the authorizing bill (included in the total defense budget, which has agreed – Ed.) which eventually must be approved by the Senate and then the House of representatives. Budget funds for defense, as the diplomat said, will be distributed to the appropriations bill (the national defense Ed.) developing another Committee.
“I assume that the upper threshold of expenses bill of $700 billion will not pass approval – it exceeds the Administration’s request. Moreover, according to the rules of sequestration, which were approved by Congress several years ago, defense spending should remain roughly the same as pobranie discretionary spending. And it will be difficult to see how controlled the “Republican” Congress will agree to allocate $700 billion for pobrania costs,” – said the “Today” Steven Pifer.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst on the contrary believes that the chances for passage of this law through the Senate and House of representatives with the amendment on the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine is quite high. But agree with Steven Pifer that the last word of the presidential Administration. “Of course, the Administration in senior positions, there are supporters of such a decision. But we’ll have to wait and see whether the decision to send such weapons made,” – said the “Today” John Herbst.
And while the event was a Capitol hill political consultations are continuing, the appearance of the bill, which also provides for the granting Ukraine lethal weapons, a good signal ahead of the first meeting of Donald trump with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Gambooge 7-8 July. “First, this is important, as this decision refrained the previous President Obama. Second, this is important, as a gesture of the Senate, as the expansion of sanctions against Russia (the Department of the Treasury two weeks ago – Ed.) occurred on the eve of the meeting, trump and Putin. It is very narrows the corridor for the conclusion of possible agreements in the negotiations of the two presidents. And thirdly, the position of the American Parliament – a signal to other NATO countries. I mean a wide range of military-technical cooperation with Ukraine on a bilateral basis,” – said the “Today” co-Director of foreign policy programmes and international security of the Razumkov Center Mykhailo Pashkov.
