US holds off on $200mn military aid package to Ukraine – report
The US has decided against delivering a major military aid package to Kiev amid renewed tensions surrounding Ukraine, a report from NBC News has claimed. It follows a week of frenetic trans-Atlantic diplomacy around the issue.
The White House had prepared a package of $200 million worth of additional military assistance to the East European country, the network reported on Saturday, citing the customary anonymous sources "familiar with the matter."
NBC insists that the US has other options for helping Ukraine, including a much larger aid package that could be approved “in the event of [a] further incursion by Russia.”
The network quoted three people it said were "familiar' with the matter as indicating that the White House delayed a shipment of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine in an effort to defuse tensions and “retain leverage in the case of a Russian attack on Ukraine.”
Western officials and media have been accusing Russia of amassing troops and military hardware with the intention of attacking Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, and insists that its military maneuvers – all taking part on its own soil – are defensive in nature. However, it pointed out that military action could be undertaken if Kiev makes a “provocation.”
US President Joe Biden spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky over the phone on Thursday, discussing military matters, among other things. Biden reiterated Washington’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Moscow has accused Kiev of endangering the safety of navigation and violating maritime rules in the Sea of Azov, near Crimea, after a Ukrainian naval vessel sailed close to the Kerch Strait late Thursday evening. Ukraine denied any wrongdoing, accusing Russia of “disinformation.”
Biden discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin via video link on Tuesday, and called for a de-escalation. According to the Kremlin, Putin told his American counterpart that Russia seeks guarantees that NATO will not expand further eastward and move closer to his country’s border.
