Reznikov: 80 tons of weapons have arrived to boost Ukraine’s defense capabilities (AFP)
He said Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Sunday that his country had received a second shipment of weapons from the United States as part of defense assistance totaling $200 million.
Washington confirmed that it would continue to support Ukraine, amid concerns in Kiev and among Western countries about the build-up of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian border. Russia denies it intends to launch a military attack on its neighbour.
“The second bird is in Kiev!” On Saturday, a shipment of nearly 90 tons of “lethal security assistance”, including ammunition, from a package approved by the United States in December, arrived in the Ukrainian capital.
On Wednesday, the German government reiterated its opposition to sending weapons to Ukraine. German government spokesman Stephen Seibert said at a press conference in Berlin that there was no change in the country’s government’s position.
“There will be no shipment of lethal weapons (to Ukraine). This was the case before during the previous government and it will remain the same with the current government,” Seibert added.
Ukraine and several NATO allies have long criticized Germany’s opposition to sending weapons to Ukraine to deter Russia. Following the decision, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Germany, on Saturday, of “encouraging” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(AFP, Anatolia)