US Gives Ukraine $1.6Bln of Military Funding, Equipment Since 2014 - Russian Diplomat

VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) The United States has given Ukraine $1.6 billion in military funds and equipment since 2014, the Russian permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Alexander Lukashevich said Thursday.

"On May 15, the US Embassy in Ukraine announced it had received military supplies intended for the Ukrainian armed forces worth over $25 million. This year, Washington intends to allocate roughly $250 million in military equipment to Kiev. In total, since 2014 and against the backdrop of the weekly announcements of deaths in Donbas resulting from Ukrainian shelling, the United States has given over $1.

6 billion to Ukraine. Destructive, lethal weapons were delivered," Lukashevich said during an online session of the OSCE Permanent Council.

The diplomat added that Canada, the United Kingdom, and several EU countries are also providing military equipment and training to the Ukrainian armed forces.

In April 2014, the Ukrainian armed forces launched a military campaign against the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk after they failed to recognize the new Ukrainian government. At least 13,000 people have died during the conflict, according to the United Nations.