It’s a good time to sell military usable non-lethal aid in Kiev these days, as the US Embassy in Ukraine has been going shopping, buying millions of dollars of equipment from the local stores and sending it to border guards along the Russian border.
The story of Ukraine’s border patrols are the same as that of their military everywhere else. Nothing works, and spare parts are in short supply. Many of the US purchases are things like car batteries and fuel pumps, to get its vehicles up and running.
The embassy doesn’t just have millions of dollars to throw around, of course, so the money is actually coming out of the Pentagon, who told Congress today that aid to the Ukraine has totaled $18 million so far.
Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Evelyn Farkas says the millions are only a drop in the bucket, however, and that Ukraine’s requests for aid since the regime change “vastly outstrips our abilities to meet them.”
The US military has unlimited funds for war.
And they want more.
And they are egging on the situation in Ukraine, notwithstanding conciliatory proposals by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Arnold Lockshin, political exile from the US living in Moscow
$150,000,000 was restored to the FY2015 WAR BUDGET…Prolly end up in the Ukraine. .Again what about Detroit?–oh, that's right the guv of Mich is bringing 50 000 CHINESE INTO DETROIT–TO LIVE..
Arnold you are 100% correct..Please read my comments..ret us army
Imagine the outrage if Obama, when touring the damage caused by the recent tornadoes in the US midwest had stood before the microphones and told the assembled "survivors" that aid to rebuild would be limited because millions of US taxpayer $$$$$ would be sent to Kiev in support of the proxy war against Putin. Or if McCain held a town hall meeting in Phoenix and declared that it is imperative that Putin be defeated in Ukraine so it would be necessary to reduce Social Security benefits in order to get the Ukrainian military up to snuff.
This is why Democrats and Republicans need to be peacefully ousted from government.
Nuland and Obama should resign. Mc Cain should make a trip to Russia and discover that there is no communism any more.Than, use the spared millions (that he prepared for war) in distributing to the old people of Ukraine who have a very little pension.
Poor darlings! How they turned out their pockets and barely gathered a measly 8 million to keep those brave border guards from entering a deep depression when their car's battery betrays them (must be the Russians fault anyway). Please tell me where can I direct my small contribution for the Ukrainian border guards well being? I'm thinking I can manage to fund the buying of a swiss knife, maybe two. With the Pentagon battery and fuel pump maybe we can get a first patrol up and running.
Like Russia, much of the Ukrainian's military equipment dates from the cold war (nobody, including the Russians, ever expected to have to use it again!). Thus, not surprisingly, everything is a rickety ramshackle in the Ukrainian military too.Indeed, what convinced me that the armed band in Crimea weren't Russian soldiers was precisely their superb equipment. Only a private contractor could afford that!
It was reported recently that officials and individuals in Ukraine had sold off government equipment – particularly the "best" military gear – at cut rate prices for personal profits. What are the chances US taxpayers are buying back some of that same equipment?