“I think we need to support Ukrainians in defending themselves. The nature of those arms I can’t say right now, because I haven’t confirmed with our military leaders or Ukrainian leaders, but I incline in the direction of providing them with arms, including lethal arms,” Carter said.
Earlier in the day, two officials of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic reported discovering NATO ammunition in the conflict-torn region. The reports corroborated previous findings of US-made assault rifles, grenades and communication devices left behind by the retreating Ukrainian military.
Kiev has long been calling for lethal military assistance from the United States. Washington has, to date, refused. In December last year, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the United States was keeping its policy of not arming Ukraine with lethal weapons.
