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Ukraine crisis: Pentagon 'chief' inclined to send weapons | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
The White House's pick for defence secretary has said he is "inclined" to send weapons to Ukraine to fight against Russian-backed rebels. | The White House's pick for defence secretary has said he is "inclined" to send weapons to Ukraine to fight against Russian-backed rebels. |
Ashton Carter's remarks came at his confirmation hearing before a Senate panel, as successor to Chuck Hagel. | |
The US has so far only provided "non-lethal" assistance to Ukraine, like night-vision goggles and radios. | |
But President Barack Obama is said to be reconsidering his position, accusing Russia of escalating the conflict. | |
Russia denies accusations by Ukraine and the West of arming the separatists and sending its regular troops across the border. | |
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions - leaving a September ceasefire in tatters. On Wednesday, three people were killed and many wounded when a shell hits a hospital in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, local officials said. | |
Fighting also continued around the key government-held town of Deblatseve, north-east of Donetsk. | |
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini appealed for a truce to allow civilians to leave the area | |
'President interested' | |
Mr Carter, who previously served as deputy secretary of defence, appeared in front of the Senate Armed Service committee to be questioned before a wider Senate vote. | |
"I'm very much inclined in that direction, mister chairman, because I think we need to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves," Mr Carter said when asked by Senator John McCain if he supported delivering "defensive weapons" to Ukraine. | "I'm very much inclined in that direction, mister chairman, because I think we need to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves," Mr Carter said when asked by Senator John McCain if he supported delivering "defensive weapons" to Ukraine. |
"The nature of those arms, I can't say right now," he added. | |
White House spokesman Josh Earnest later stressed that President Obama - not Mr Carter - would make the final decision on the issue. | |
But Mr Earnest added: "The president is certainly interested in the view, the opinion and the insight of his national security team, including what we hope will be his soon-to-be-confirmed new secretary of defence, and the president will certainly take that advice into account". | |
The White House has accused Russia of fighting a proxy war - but has reportedly feared that sending in weapons could trigger a tense confrontation with Russia and escalate the conflict. | |
However, earlier this week a group of former senior US officials and officers urged a major increase in military assistance, including providing light-armour missiles designed to take out tanks and armoured vehicles. | |
And on Tuesday, a group of US senators called on President Obama and Nato "to rapidly increase military assistance to Ukraine to defend its sovereign borders against escalating Russian aggression". | |
Fighting in east Ukraine began last April, when separatists seized government buildings after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula. | |
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict. | More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict. |
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