Last year, on August 24, 2017, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis was in Kyiv to join the celebrations of Ukraine’s 26th anniversary of renewed independence. Secretary Mattis, who was the first U.S. defense chief to visit Ukraine in a decade, reiterated that the United States “won’t accept” Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and that Washington was “actively reviewing” supplying Ukraine with lethal weaponry.
“Have no doubt,” he said at a joint news conference with President Petro Poroshenko, “the United States stands with Ukraine. …Defensive weapons are not provocative unless you are an aggressor, and clearly Ukraine is not an aggressor since its their own territory where the fighting is happening,” Mr. Mattis said.
Sanctions against Moscow, added Mr. Mattis, will remain in place until Russia stops supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine and returns Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized by Russia in March 2014.
Mr. Mattis accused Russia of not abiding by the February 2015 Minsk agreement that was meant to be a framework to put an end to the conflict. “Despite Russia’s denials, we know they are seeking to redraw international borders by force, undermining the sovereign and free nations of Europe.”
The United States, continued the secretary of defense, is committed to “building the capacity” of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Mr. Mattis refuted Moscow’s claims that the conflict is an internal one for Ukraine, saying that Russia fomented separatism before it broke out and Russia has sent troops, weapons and other support to the separatists.
President Poroshenko said, “Ukraine is ready to give a tough military response to the aggressor if he tries to go on the offensive,” but Ukraine’s priority is a “peaceful, diplomatic, political and law-based path to the return” of Crimea and separatist-held territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Noting the support from Ukraine’s allies, Mr. Poroshenko thanked defense ministers and troops from Britain, Georgia, Estonia, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and the United States for attending or marching in Ukraine’s Independence Day parade.
President Donald Trump sent a letter of congratulations to President Poroshenko on the occasion, underscoring that the United States will continue to support Ukraine’s “sovereignty and integrity” and the country’s “aspirations of becoming a truly European nation.”
The Pentagon recommended a package of lethal defensive military aid to Ukraine worth $47 million. The package was reported to include 210 Javelin shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles and 37 Javelin launchers.
The first deliveries of Javelin missiles arrived in Ukraine on April 30 of this year, and were confirmed by the U.S. State Department. The White House approved the sale in December. The U.S. is planning to send an additional $200 million in defense funding for Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014, the U.S. has provided nearly $1 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Source: “Mattis emphasizes support for Ukraine, says U.S. is considering lethal weapons,” (RFE/RL Ukrainian Service), The Ukrainian Weekly, September 3, 2017.