Source: freebeacon.com - Monday, March 02, 2015
At a briefing in Washington last week, NATO’s top military commander offered a grim assessment of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Fighting is “ getting worse every day ” between Ukrainian government forces and separatists backed by Russian troops, finances, and heavy weapons, Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove said on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon. Ukrainian troops were recently forced to retreat from the strategic rail hub Debaltseve after an onslaught from the pro-Russian rebels. Ukrainians now fear that the separatists could launch assaults on the eastern cities of Mariupol and Kharkiv—further violating a ceasefire agreement reached in February. More than 5,600 people have died in the Ukrainian conflict. President Barack Obama has so far resisted appeals from the beleaguered Ukrainian military to provide lethal aid such as small arms, ammunition, and anti-tank weaponry—though he has the authority to do so under a law he signed last year. President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, U.S. lawmakers from both parties , Director of National Intelligence James Clapper , and former diplomats and defense officials have all urged him to consider reversing course. Breedlove told the House Armed Services Committee that the current U.S. strategy is not working. “We have to be cognizant that if we arm the Ukrainians, it could cause positive results,” he said. “It could cause negative results. But what we’re doing right now is not changing the
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At a briefing in Washington last week, NATO’s top military commander offered a grim assessment of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Fighting is “ getting worse every day ” between Ukrainian government forces and separatists backed by Russian troops, finances, and heavy weapons, Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove said on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon. Ukrainian troops were recently forced to retreat from the strategic rail hub Debaltseve after an onslaught from the pro-Russian rebels. Ukrainians now fear that the separatists could launch assaults on the eastern cities of Mariupol and Kharkiv—further violating a ceasefire agreement reached in February. More than 5,600 people have died in the Ukrainian conflict. President Barack Obama has so far resisted appeals from the beleaguered Ukrainian military to provide lethal aid such as small arms, ammunition, and anti-tank weaponry—though he has the authority to do so under a law he signed last year. President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, U.S. lawmakers from both parties , Director of National Intelligence James Clapper , and former diplomats and defense officials have all urged him to consider reversing course. Breedlove told the House Armed Services Committee that the current U.S. strategy is not working. “We have to be cognizant that if we arm the Ukrainians, it could cause positive results,” he said. “It could cause negative results. But what we’re doing right now is not changing thefrom Top News on RSS Feeds http://ift.tt/1vRRgPA
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