WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama’s decision to send weapons to Kiev will depend on the intensity of violence in Eastern Ukraine and the extent to which the Minsk agreement is implemented, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said at the Brussels Forum in Belgium on Friday.
“We’re hoping for and working for the best outcome, which would be the full implementation of Minsk, which would make the whole question moot,” Nuland stated. “But if that does not happen, if, in fact, we see a resurgence of aggression and violence, that will change the calculation.”
The United States has yet to send lethal aid but has already provided Ukraine with almost $120 million in military support and is getting ready to start training Ukrainian forces, Nuland added.
As of February 2015, the United States had provided more than $355 million in assistance toward the Ukrainian security, economic stability and reform agenda, according to the White House.
Within the US Congress there is broad support and legislation to arm Ukraine. In Europe, Italy, Germany and France have stated their opposition to such lethal aid.
The United States and the United Kingdom have sent military advisers to Ukraine, according to public reports, and the governments of Poland and Canada have also expressed their intention to send military advisers.
The Brussels Forum is an annual high-level meeting of the most influential North American and European political, corporate and intellectual leaders to address pressing challenges currently facing both sides of the Atlantic, according to Forum’s website.
