Washington is ready to expand arms supplies to Ukraine in order to build up the country’s naval forces in the face of continuing Russian support for eastern separatists, according to the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA.
The Ukrainian Embassy said on Thursday that the U.S. Senate suggests increasing up to $300 million and significantly expand assistance to Ukraine’s security sector in the U.S. defense budget for 2020.
“The U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee has approved a draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2020, which authorized the Pentagon to allocate $300 million to provide security assistance to Ukraine, which is $50 million more than the current year’s appropriations,” it said on Facebook.
Also stated in an announcement the money will be used to expand the U.S assistance in strengthening the defense capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by incorporating coastal defenses and anti-ship missiles.
“Of this amount, $100 million should be directed solely at lethal types of weapons,” noticed in post.
The proposed transfer comes as fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists has increased in recent days, and the United States is taking steps to deter aggressive military actions by Moscow.
Washington has long been opposed to Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine.