US military supports arming Ukraine amid new threats against Russia

News, US March 4, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

The highest-ranking general in the US military says the United States should consider providing lethal arms to Ukraine to help battle pro-Russian forces amid new threats to impose additional sanctions against Russia.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey made the remarks during a congressional hearing alongside new US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

“I think we should absolutely consider lethal aid and it ought to be in the context of NATO allies because Putin’s ultimate objective is to fracture NATO,” Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

“There are some capability gaps that put Ukrainian forces at a real disadvantage, and I think we ought to look for opportunities to provide those capabilities,” Dempsey said, so the two sides “can compete on a level playing field.”

He did not specify what kind of weapons the US military may provide.

The general’s remarks echo similar pleas made in recent months by several top American officials, including the Pentagon chief and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Washington accuses Moscow of arming and supporting pro-Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The Kremlin, however, calls the accusations “groundless.”

Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union have agreed to “impose significant additional costs” on Russia if a ceasefire agreement about the Ukraine conflict is violated.

The decision was made Tuesday during a video conference between US President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy as well as the head of the European Council about the current situation in eastern Ukraine.

The leaders agreed to swiftly add further sanctions on Moscow if it does not stop pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine from breaching a two-week-old ceasefire.

“The leaders expressed their hope for the successful and complete implementation of the Minsk agreements and agreed that the easing of current sanctions would be linked to the full implementation of these agreements,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

“They also affirmed their determination to act quickly and in unison to impose significant additional costs, if serious violations of the Minsk agreements occur or if Russian-backed separatists seek to gain new territory,” the statement added.

The office of European Council President Donald Tusk, who took part in the talks, said the “leaders will be ready to decide on further sanctions, if the Minsk agreements are further violated.”

AHT/AGB