WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama’s reluctance to provide defensive weapons to Ukraine is a sign of weakness, and the United States should supply the country with the means to defend itself, US Senator Lindsey Graham said in a press release.
"President Obama's continual weakness in the face of aggression is making the world a more dangerous place. His reluctance to provide defensive weapons, which Ukraine desperately needs to protect themselves against Russian intervention, is another low point in a presidency which has many to choose from,” the press release, issued on Monday, said.
Obama said he was still evaluating whether or not to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons during the meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday.
Both Obama and Merkel said there would not be a military solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
Germany and France have renewed a push for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, engaging in the past week in shuttle diplomacy between Kiev and Moscow. Merkel reiterated during her official visit to the White House that Germany opposes arming Ukraine and will continue to try to secure a diplomatic solution.
The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany are scheduled to meet in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Wednesday, following intense negotiations over the past week to end the violence. A previous ceasefire agreement between militias in Eastern Ukraine and the government in Kiev has broken down in a spiral of violence over the past month.
More than 5300 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine in fighting between the Kiev government-led forces and local pro-independence fighters since last April, according to UN estimates. The United States and European Union accuse Russia of backing ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine, charges that Russia has denied.
