As Fighting Resumes, Ukraine Extends a Wary Hand to Washington - Defense One: The renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine has reignited the debate in Washington about how best to support Kiev’s battle with separatists and their backers in Moscow. One front-line Ukrainian commander has been waiting years for arms and other equipment from Washington. His message, in a telephone conversation with Defense One, was I need help, and equipment, but: “Don’t send shit to me.”
In mid-December, leaders from U.S. European Command, or EUCOM, discussed security cooperation and military reform with Stepan Poltorak, Ukraine’s defense minister, and Viktor Muzhenko, Ukraine’s Chief of General Staff. “Additionally, we visited the Eastern part of the country where Ukrainian military units are involved in combat operations against Russia-led separatist forces,” a EUCOM representative said. “We remain concerned with the violence in eastern Ukraine and continue to call for an immediate end to Russia’s occupation of Crimea and for Russia to cease its destabilizing actions in Ukraine and fulfill its commitments in the Minsk agreements.”
