WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The final version of the 2017 bill will be considered on the floor of the House of Representatives next week, the Appropriations Committee said in a press release.
"None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act may be used by the Secretary of Defense to enter into a contract… with Rosoboronexport [until it] has ceased the transfer of lethal military equipment to the Syrian Arab Republic and the armed forces of the Russian Federation have withdrawn from Crimea," the bill, introduced on Thursday, stated.
The bill's language adds that restrictions on Rosoboronexport will remain until Russia stops its active measures in eastern Ukraine. Similar language was included in the 2016 authorization bill.
In March 2014, the Crimean peninsula voted in a referendum to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia, in a move that has not been recognized as legitimate by the United States, the European Union and other countries.
The southeast of Ukraine has been locked in conflict with Kiev after the Ukrainian government launched a military campaign against local residents, who refused to recognize the new coup-installed government.
The government of Syria openly requested Russia's support and military intervention in its fight against Daesh (outlawed in Russia).
