Kiev Not to Raise Issue of Lethal Weapons Deliveries During NATO Summit

The Ukrainian delegation is not planning to raise the issue of possible deliveries of lethal weapons from the Western states to Kiev during the ongoing NATO Summit in Warsaw, Ukraine's vice-prime minister for European integration said.

KIEV (Sputnik) — On July 8-9, NATO is holding a summit in Warsaw, Poland, where it is expected to discuss boosting the Alliance’s military presence in Eastern Europe and cooperation with the regional states, among other topics.

"NATO as an alliance can not provide us with weapons, only its individual members could do so. Therefore, the issue cannot be put on the agenda of the summit," Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze told Fokus magazine on Thursday, adding that the United States was unlikely to approve lethal arms deliveries to Kiev before the November presidential election.

She pointed out that Kiev was waiting for deliveries of non-lethal weapons from the United States, adding that US and Canadian military instructors continued to train Ukrainian service personnel.

Kiev launched a military operation against independence-seeking militias in southeastern Ukraine in April 2014. The confrontation has claimed more than 9,000 lives, according to UN estimates.

In March, US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said the conflict in eastern Ukraine should be settled through the implementation of the Minsk agreements and not by providing lethal aid to Kiev.