Ukraine Welcomes U.S. Vote for Military Aid
Ukraine on Friday cheered the passage of a U.S. Senate bill allowing Washington to provide lethal military assistance to the embattled country for its fight against Russia-backed rebels.
The bill -- passed late on Thursday but due to be re-approved Friday for technical reasons -- threatens fresh sanctions against Russia and opens the way for the provision of up to $350 million (280 million euros') worth of military hardware to Ukraine, which has been fighting an eight-month war against separatists in its eastern region.
The "Ukraine Freedom Support Act", which must still be approved by the White House, allows for the delivery of anti-tank and anti-armor weapons, radar, surveillance drones and communications equipment to Ukrainian forces.
It was warmly welcomed as a "historic decision" by lawmakers in Kiev, who have long pressed the West to provide military support to their beleaguered army.
But Moscow immediately issued a statement through its foreign ministry expressing "deep regret" at the move.
There is little appetite in Western capitals for a move that could see them drawn into a proxy war with Russia and it is far from certain that President Barack Obama will back the Senate's bill.
Senate lawmakers also pulled a clause at the last minute that would have granted "major non-NATO ally" status to Ukraine, along with Georgia and Moldova.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of backing the separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has claimed more than 4,300 lives since it broke out in April.
Russia denies the accusations despite a wealth of evidence.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said a ceasefire put in place on Tuesday -- the fourth since the conflict began in April -- was "real" but still remained fragile.
"Today is the first 24 hours for seven months... when we have a real ceasefire in Ukraine," Poroshenko said during a trip to Australia.
"Everything is so fragile. But I pray that we should continue this process."
Underlining his concerns, there were reports later on Friday that two volunteer fighters with the "Azov regiment" and two rebels had been killed in Pavlopil, 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
"They were ambushed. Their car was blown up by a landmine," Azov spokesman Oleksandr Alferov told Agence France-Presse by phone. He added that the two rebels were killed in an ensuing firefight.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said the government plans to conscript an additional 40,000 soldiers and train a further 10,500 professional soldiers next year -- taking the total number of armed forces to 250,000.
The country scrapped conscription in October 2013 only to be forced to reinstate it in May this year, in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of the pro-Russian insurgency in the east.
In 2013, Ukraine had only 130,000 people in its armed forces and much of its equipment had been allowed to rot by years of corruption and lack of use.
Poltorak said he would like to see the military budget doubled in size to 50 billion hyrvnias (2.5 billion euros, $3.2 billion) in the annual budget that parliament is expected to pass before the end of the year.
Russia denies sending military aid over the border and argues that any of its troops fighting in eastern Ukraine are volunteers on vacation. But its claims have been roundly rejected by the West.
NATO accused Russia on Friday of refusing any "genuine dialogue" about its increased military activity across eastern Europe.
The U.S.-led alliance has reported an upsurge in Russian military flights, especially near its Baltic state members, but also further afield around Norway, Britain and far south into the Atlantic.
"It takes two to have a dialogue and until now, Russia has not demonstrated any interest in genuine dialogue," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu told AFP.
Poroshenko said the conflict in his homeland was not just about Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity.
"This is a war for freedom, global freedom. This is a war for democracy, global democracy and this is the war for security, global security," he said.
Poroshenko added that he believed the Ukrainian conflict was a "very emotional" matter for Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that peace was possible.
"I think that the Ukrainian matter for him is very emotional.... I avoid the term 'we will win war'. But I can use the term 'we will win peace'," he said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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