Russia: Washington has supplied Ukraine with weapons worth $1.7 billion

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday stressed that the situation in Ukraine has exacerbated because of the influx of mercenaries recruited by the Ukrainian diplomatic missions.

In a statement to Sputnik news agency, the ministry said that during the past two months, the United States supplied Ukraine with weapons worth $1.7 billion, pointing out that Kiev authorities are unable to securely store the weapons they receive from NATO countries and they may end up in the black market.

U.S. planning another $750 million in military aid to Ukraine

The U.S. aims to send more weapons to Ukraine as part of a military aid package worth $750 million, unnamed officials told Reuters and the Washington Post Tuesday.

The U.S. may send Ukraine heavy ground artillery systems such as howitzer cannons, along with coastal defensive drones and suits designed to protect against possible biological, chemical or nuclear weapons attacks, according to the Post.

 The package will be “built around the idea of larger scale combat,” and will include weapons to assist Ukrainian forces.

The deliveries will be funded as part of the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), in which the president can authorize the transfer of articles and services without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

The White House said on April 8 that since the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine it had already provided security aid to the Kiev government worth $1.7 billion.

Hamda Mustafa