Sending Lethal Weapons to Kiev Will Lead to Ukraine's Collapse

Washington and London wish to ruin Ukraine if they seriously are considering providing lethal aid to Kiev, said Philippe Migault, a military and defense expert.

"The tragedy is that London and Washington discuss sending weapons to a war-torn country, where "legitimate" authorities are almost ready to kill each other. If they want to speed up the full disintegration of Ukraine – a catastrophic scenario everyone else is trying to prevent – then that's the best option," Migault told Sputnik.

"It's high time we call for the end of madness in Ukraine, not a ceasefire," added the senior research fellow at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS).

Earlier this week, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution urging President Barack Obama to send lethal defensive weapons to Kiev. The European Union and the United States have so far only pledged non-lethal aid and military training assistance to Ukraine.

Providing lethal assistance to Kiev will only escalate the violence in the country and lead to more vicitims, Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said earlier this month.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that providing Kiev with weapons will exacerbate the Ukrainian crisis, adding that it goes against claims by Washington of its commitment for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. A number of European countries stated in recent weeks that they would not be sending lethal aid to Ukraine.