Last month, the majority of the killed Ukrainian soldiers were likely killed by sniper fire, Portman, who is currently visiting Kiev, said, as quoted by the media.
One of the US legislative amendments, and a decision of the White House, taken over the past month, stipulates sniper equipment provision to the Ukrainian army, to make it able to respond to sniper fire, the senator explained.
Such actions are the example of the US support to Kiev, Portman noted.
READ MORE: Ukraine Wastes $2.7Mln on FAKE Smoke Screen for Military
The United States has been assigning millions of dollars to support Ukraine, particularly in the defense area, over the past years. Specifically, the 2018 US defense budget, signed into law by President Donald Trump in December, allocates $350 million for security assistance to Kiev.
for instance, in early March, the US Department of State signed off on a $47-million sale of shoulder-fired Javelin anti-tank missiles requested by Ukraine.
READ MORE: US Approves Sale of 210 Javelin Anti-Tank Missiles to Ukraine
Moscow has repeatedly warned against supplies of weapons to Ukraine saying that this would result in the escalation of the military conflict in the country's eastern Donbas region, ongoing since 2014. This stance has also been supported by a number of European officials.
READ MORE: Arms Race 2.0: Is Armageddon Right Around the Corner?
