US National Intelligence Director Admits Visiting Ukraine

Director of the US National Intelligence James Clapper, who supported the idea of sending weapons to Ukraine, admitted that he visited Kiev.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Director of the US National Intelligence James Clapper, a known proponent of sending weapons to Ukraine, confessed to visiting Kiev a month ago in an interview to the Public Broadcasting Service.

"I was recently in Kiev myself, about a month ago, and when you are there however briefly you cannot help but be struck by the intensity of this issue for the Ukrainians," Clapper said on Monday, answering a question about whether the United States should arm Kiev's army.

Earlier this week, at the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York think tank, Clapper argued providing lethal "defensive" weapons to the Ukrainian government troops would "bolster their morale" in the military confrontation against eastern independence supporters.

The United States has been providing Kiev with economic and non-lethal military support since the beginning of a military operation against independence fighters in Ukraine's east regions of Donetsk and Luhansk last April.

In December, US Congress authorized the allocation of $350 million to arm Kiev. However, US President Barack Obama has not enacted the legislation.

Kiev and the independence supporters signed a ceasefire deal last month, yet both sides reported numerous violations of the truce. The conflict in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 6,000 lives, according to the UN.