"Defensive weapons supplied by the US and continued military and technical support would make a powerful statement to the Kremlin and improve significantly Ukraine's ability to defend its territory against the Russian army. This support has already shown its effectiveness… That is why we believe this kind of support and training is very important and should be continued," Klimkin said.
The relations between Russia and Ukraine deteriorated in 2014, after Crimea rejoined Russia, which was the result of a referendum on the peninsula. In light of Crimea's move and following the outbreak of a conflict between the Kiev army and southeastern Ukraine's local militia, the West accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs, which the Kremlin has repeatedly denied, claiming that Moscow is not taking part in the armed conflict in Donbass.
In September 2016, the US House of Representatives approved legislation to allow the supply of lethal "defensive" weapons to Ukraine, but the law still needs to be approved by the US Senate and signed by the US president. In late February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov called on the new US administration to reconsider supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine as they result in new tragedies.
