US Sends Defensive Arms to Kiev Amid Reported Buildup in Donbass

‘The United States has equipped Ukraine government forces with defensive weapons to counter independence supporters in eastern Ukraine who the US military alleges are preparing for a fresh offensive, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday.

“It does appear that the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine are preparing for another round of military action,” Carter said. “We [the United States] are supporting the Ukrainian military, not with offensive arms, but with defensive arms.”

Carter responded to a question about whether he agreed with sending offensive weapons to Ukraine, as recently recommended by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander General Philip Breedlove, to confront the buildup of alleged Russian-supported forces in eastern Ukraine.’

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