Russia angered by new US weapons agreement with Ukraine

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Europe

The US is entering a new phase of involvement in the Ukraine conflict, as Washington signs off on an agreement to supply Kiev with lethal weapons, which Moscow contends undermines a 2015 agreement intended to end the fighting.

Many of the current US sanctions against Russia stem from the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has soured relations between Russia and the West.

Washington has long criticized Moscow over what it says has been support – material, financial, and logistical – of pro-Russian rebels in the Donbass. The militants have been fighting for either autonomy or total independence from Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during the UN General Assembly in New York, US, September 21, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Russia denies it is providing weapons to the separatists.

Still, the US has made no effort in the past, and even now under the Trump administration, to hide which side it supports in this conflict.

Moscow argues that this latest move undermines the 2015 Minsk Agreement to end the fighting.

“The United States is, in fact, encouraging the resumption of large-scale bloodshed in Donbass, where the situation is already on the edge due to continuing shelling from the Kiev-controlled side,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “Washington, in fact, becomes an accomplice in the killing of people.”

In the past, the US has provided Ukraine with training and support equipment as well as allowing private companies to sell small arms, such as rifles and other weapons, to Ukraine.

Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride a tank near Artemivsk, eastern Ukraine, February 21, 2015. /Reuters photo

But under this new provision, Washington says it will provide Kiev with what the US State Department calls “enhanced defensive capabilities.”

According to unnamed US officials widely quoted in the media, the weapons will include American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles.

US President Donald Trumps’ predecessor, Barack Obama, reportedly considered selling Ukraine heavier armaments, but stopped short of doing so.

Republicans criticized Obama for being weak, and even Trump has faced criticism that he’s been too soft on Moscow.

Last week, Russian officers withdrew from what’s known as the Joint Center for Control and Coordination in Ukraine. The group is essentially a joint patrol set up under the first Minsk Agreement.

Many Western countries have called on Russia to rejoin. This latest move by the US could be a tactic to pressure Moscow to reverse its decision.