US to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine

United States will provide lethal weapons to Ukraine to help it fight Russian-backed separatists.

The US was going to provide Ukraine with "enhanced defensive capabilities as part of our effort to help Ukraine build its long-term defense capacity, to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to deter further aggression," CNN reported, citing the State Department as saying, in a statement.

The weapons include American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The US-backed Ukrainian government has long sought the weapons for its fight against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014, according to the reports.

The US decision to supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons meant that the United States "is clearly pushing [Ukraine] to new bloodshed," said Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

 

The move comes when there is a slight increase in clashes between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-backed separatists.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration reportedly approved the sale of Model M107A1 Sniper Systems and associated equipment to Kiev at a value of USD 41.5 million.

Kiev has consistently urged Washington for lethal weaponry, since the launch of the so-called Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine in 2014.