14:45 27.03.2015

U.S. Senate calls on Obama to start arming Ukraine

2 min read
U.S. Senate calls on Obama to start arming Ukraine

Following in the steps of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate has called on President Barack Obama to arm Ukraine as soon as possible.

A resolution expressing the sentiments of the Senate regarding the January 24, 2015 attacks carried out by Russian-backed militants on the civilian population in Mariupol, Ukraine, and the provision of defensive lethal and non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine, was unanimously supported by the Senate.

"< > Russian-backed rebels continue to expand their campaign in Ukraine, which has already claimed more than 5,000 lives and generated an estimated 1,500,000 refugees and internally displaced persons," the resolution reads.

The resolution states that the indiscriminate attack on Mariupol killed 30 people, including 2 children, and wounded 102 in markets, homes, and schools.

The Senate condemned the attack on Mariupol by the Russian-backed militants, and urged Obama to prioritize and expedite the provision of defensive lethal and non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine, consistent with United States national interests and policies, as authorized and supported by Congress in the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-272).

The Senate called on the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately end its support for the rebels in eastern Ukraine, allow Ukraine to regain control of its internationally recognized borders, and withdraw its military presence in eastern Ukraine.

The U.S. senators expressed their solidarity with the people of Ukraine regarding the humanitarian crisis in their country and the destruction caused by the military, financial, and ideological support of the Government of the Russian Federation for the rebels in eastern Ukraine.

The Senate called on the United States, its European allies, and the international community to continue to apply economic and other forms of pressure on the Russian Federation, especially in the form of sanctions, if the Government of the Russian Federation does not cease its aggression against Ukraine.

Last Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed its own resolution, calling on Obama to start sending lethal weapons supplies to Ukraine.

The White House has for several weeks said that the possibility of arming Ukraine is under consideration, however no final decision has been taken yet.

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