“The President [Trump], when it comes to his overall negotiating strategy, has made it clear that in a variety of circumstances that his philosophy is not one that says ‘I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do’ in order to maximize his negotiating strategy,” Spicer said on Friday when asked about sending arms to Ukraine.
The US National Defense Authorization Act passed under the Obama Administration provides funding and authority for the President of the United States to send "lethal defensive weapons" to Ukraine. Russian officials have repeatedly warned that the United States injecting arms into the conflict in Ukraine will only escalate the crisis.
The White House spokesman also reiterated the Trump Administration’s position that sanctions will remain in place against Russia until the situation in Crimea is resolved.
In a tweet on Tuesday Trump complained that Russia had "ran over" the United States during the 8 years of the Obama Administration and "picked off Crimea."
