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12/22/2024 05:47:44 pm

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McCain Favors U.S. Sending Lethal Weapons to Ukraine

Ukraine War

(Photo : Reuters) Ukrainian servicemen fire their weapons during fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Pesky village, near Donetsk January 21, 2015.

Senator John McCain criticized on Sunday not only how the U.S. national leaders are handling the Ukraine conflict but also key European leaders.

He said that he is ashamed of how U.S. President Barack Obama and himself as well have not done enough to help Ukrainians.

Since the conflict erupted in April, over 5,300 Ukrainians have died in the war with Russia, according to UN estimates.

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"The Ukrainians aren't asking for American boots on the ground ... They're asking for weapons to defend themselves, and they are being slaughtered and their military is being shattered," CBS quotes McCain.

He belittles the ceasefire brokered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, chastising the two because the pair "legitimized for the first time in 70 years the dismemberment of a country in Europe."

The Republican senator from Arizona said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is succeeding in removing Ukraine from Europe partly because of the moves of Merkel and Hollande.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk agreed with McCain's proposal that the U.S. send the country lethal weapons because Ukraine needs to defend itself against the Russian troops.

"Russia is constantly supplying tanks, surface-to-air missiles and the rest of the stuff. And again everyone knows this. We still use outdated Soviet-style equipment," Fox quotes Yatsenyuk.

The PM assured Ukrainians on Saturday that the country is nowhere near collapse and the Russian-backed separatists still continue with their attacks on Ukrainian soldiers even if there is a ceasefire which exists only on paper.

Yatsenyuk points out that in a ceasefire, no one shoots. He understands that it means the Russian-led troopers would not engage in any kind of shellings nor kill Ukrainian soldiers and innocent civilians.

The European Union has promised to send armored cars and satellite imagery to monitor the ceasefire but could not assure it could provide a peacekeeping mission similar to UN's.


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