WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The announcement of $75 million in non-lethal aid to Ukraine is not the approach favoured by members of the US Congress who would like to provide lethal aid, US Senate Foreign Affair Committee Chairman Bob Corker told the press on Wednesday.
“We passed unanimously out of our committee and out of the Senate, the desire for us [the United States] to provide that lethal defensive weaponry against what Russia is doing,” Corker said.
The promise of aid “is appreciated, but to me it is still not the kind of step we need to make,” Corker added.
Corker said he is worried about the possibility US President Barack Obama is making promises to US allies in Europe that the United States will not provide lethal arms into the Ukrainian conflict.
Corker referred to statements made by German Ambassador to Germany, Peter Wittig, who alleged that Obama committed during German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Washington, DC not to send US arms to Ukraine. “[It] certainly has created a lot of concerns on both sides of the aisle,” Corker stated.
According to US media reports, the $75 million package will contain non-lethal drones and up to 200 Humvees, some heavily armoured.
Corker was the main co-sponsor of the 2014 Ukraine Freedom Support Act, which authorized $350 million in lethal military support to Ukraine. The White House has not enacted the arming provisions of the Act, and warned on Wednesday that sending arms to Ukraine could result in increased bloodshed.
