December 23, 2017

Russian officials said Saturday that the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons to combat Russian-backed separatists will cause new bloodshed, as long-standing tensions between Washington and Moscow escalated over the four-year-old conflict.

Moscow’s admonition came shortly after the State Department announced Friday evening that the United States will provide heavy armaments to Ukraine for the first time, a step up from the support equipment and training offered so far. A statement by spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the weapons were defensive in nature, “as part of our effort to help Ukraine build its long-term defense capacity, to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to deter further aggression.”

On Wednesday, Washington said it had approved an export license allowing the sale of light weapons and small arms to Ukraine from commercial U.S. manufacturers.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russia-issues-stern-warning-us-is-fueling-new-bloodshed-in-ukraine/2017/12/23/7e90f78a-40bf-4967-95f0-af840a23ec63_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_usrussia-5pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.d7d75cd09642