The new U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Kurt Volker, says Washington is considering sending Kyiv weapons to help government forces defend themselves against Russia-backed separatists.

Providing lethal defensive weapons would allow Kyiv to "defend itself if Russia were to take further steps against Ukrainian territory," Volker told Current Time TV in an interview on July 25.

President Donald Trump's administration "is now reviewing where the Obama administration left it, considering whether we should provide defensive arms to Ukraine or not," he said. "So that's the state of play."

Volker said he did not think arming Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons would "provoke Russia to do more than they are already doing, and it also isn't going to change any kind of balance that way."

"I hear these arguments that it's somehow provocative to Russia or that it's going to embolden Ukraine to attack. These are just flat out wrong," Volker told Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America.

"First off, Russia is already in Ukraine, they are already heavily armed," he said. "There are more Russian tanks in there than [tanks] in Western Europe combined. It is a large, large military presence." </s> Washington is considering sending "defensive" weapons to Ukraine, US special representative Kurt Volker says. He insists the potential move, long desired by Kiev, would not be "provocative." It comes as Moscow warns against fueling Ukraine's civil war.In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Volker, who was appointed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as the US special representative for Ukraine negotiations in July, said that US authorities are pondering whether to ship armaments to Kiev.Noting that the discussion is currently focused on "defensive weapons, ones that would allow Ukraine to defend itself and to take out tanks, for example," Volker argued that such supplies "would actually to help [sic]" Kiev fend off alleged encroachments from Moscow.Volker fell short of providing any indication of when such a deal could be reached between Washington and Kiev, saying that he is "not again predicting where we go on this."However, he claimed that despite the unresolved conflict in eastern Ukraine, Washington does not view such a move as "provocative.""I think that argument that it would be provocative to Russia or emboldening of Ukraine is just getting it backwards," Volker told the BBC, adding that the US believes a "new strategic dialogue" with Moscow is needed to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, which has recently seen a spike in violence.Volker, who is a former adviser to US Senator John McCain and a former US ambassador to NATO, previously described the conflict between Donbass rebels and Kiev as a "hot war" and an "immediate crisis," as opposed to a frozen conflict. Volker visited Ukraine on Sunday, offering comments on camera and posing with Ukrainian servicemen before driving off in an armored vehicle.Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said in June that Kiev had almost worked out an agreement with Washington on defensive weapons. Hailing the progress reached on "defensive agreements" with the US, the Ukrainian leader claimed the parties "have an almost consensual text of the agreement [about the arms supplies]." Poroshenko voiced hope that the deals would be finalized within the present fiscal year.Poroshenko's assurances came on the heels of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and other senior US officials during a visit to Washington in June. Poroshenko said he discussed the issue with Tillerson, adding that the agreement could be signed once Mattis arrives in Ukraine.While no official date for the visit has been announced, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Valery Chaly, said in June that Kiev had invited Mattis, Tillerson, and US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to visit Ukraine before the end of the year. Tillerson visited Ukraine earlier this month.Last week, fighting in Donbass that had seemingly subsided in recent months again intensified, claiming at least 12 lives. The surge in violence sparked concern among observers and mediators of the Minsk agreements and was addressed during a telephone conversation between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany - known as the 'Normandy Four' - on Monday.While negotiations surrounding weapons supplies to Ukraine currently appear to concern only "defensive" weapons, Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly said they are eager to receive "lethal" arms from the US."We have repeatedly said that any actions provoking tensions on the disengagement line [in eastern Ukraine] and in general further aggravating the already difficult situation [in the region], will only distance us from the moment of settling this domestic Ukrainian issue," Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters.Last week, Ukraine's defense minister, Stepan Poltorak, reiterated that Kiev is waiting for Washington to greenlight the transfer of lethal arms to Ukraine, as proposed by the US Senate Armed Services Committee in June.Following the proposal, an unnamed US State Department official told RIA Novosti that the US has not yet made up its mind on whether to supply lethal arms to Kiev. </s> While on a special fact-finding mission to Eastern Europe, the US’ Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker told the Ukrainian government that it would have to come to the realisation that its much-improved armed forces would be unable to recapture areas that it lost to Russian and Moscow-backed separatists over four years ago.

“There’s no way the Ukrainians can take the territory back, which has already been taken by the Russians. Russia is just too powerful, but the cost to Russia for a further advancement has already increased and will continue to increase. And if that’s the case, then you have to ask yourself if you’re sitting in Moscow, ‘What are we getting out of this? We are getting Russian casualties, soldiers being killed fighting in Ukraine, for what?’” Volker said in an interview with the Ukrainian Service of the BBC on May 17.

The message was a cold shower the government of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko as he struggles to fend-off growing accusations from his own population and from increasingly impatient Western governments that he and his administration are doing little to combat corruption and the stagnant economic conditions that have continued to plague Ukraine since a civil uprising ousted the previous pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution.

Kyiv had hoped the recent delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US would significantly tip the balance on the battlefield in their favour as the Javelin is the world’s most powerful portable anti-armour weapon and capable of easily destroying the T-72, T-80, and T-90 main battle tanks that Moscow has deployed to the areas it occupies in the eastern Donbass Region and Crimea.

But the US is keeping the Javelins under their watch, locked down in a secure weapons depot in west Ukraine, hundreds of kilometres from the frontline. Washington has made it clear to the Poroshenko government that the systems are strictly for defensive purposes and will no longer be under lock-and-key if Russia’s armed forces were to push beyond the current contact lines, which have remained static since mid-2015.

Since they begrudgingly agreed to provide Ukraine with sophisticated anti-tank systems – something Kyiv has pleaded for from the United States and NATO ever since Russia first invaded the country in April 2014 – the administration of US President Donald J Trump has insisted that all weapons deliveries to the Ukrainian military are strictly intended to defend against any future attempts by Russia to seize additional Ukrainian territory.

“If they (the Ukrainians) are not able to hold the line, that’s just an invitation to further advancements. What this does is that it tells the Russians very clearly that ‘You are not going to get any more without it being very costly to you’.

Trump’s administration has struggled to formulate a coherent policy towards Ukraine, particularly after the US Congress passed a bill that codified sanctions that are currently imposed against Moscow for its invasion of Crimea and the Donbass. The White House has gone along with elements of the policies of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, but has had to balance between Trump’s inclination to improve relations with Russia and his personal affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin with realities on the ground when it comes to countering Moscow’s threat to the security structure for the whole of Europe and US longstanding commitments to NATO and its allies in the region. </s> WASHINGTON - The United States may arm Ukrainian government forces fighting against Russian-backed rebels, the new US special representative for Ukraine told the BBC.

Kurt Volker said Washington is actively reviewing whether to send weapons to help Ukraine, a move he says could change Moscow's approach.

"Defensive weapons, ones that would allow Ukraine to defend itself, and to take out tanks for example, would actually to help" to stop Russia threatening Ukraine, Mr Volker said in a BBC interview.

He did not think the move would be provocative, saying: "I'm not again predicting where we go on this, that's a matter for further discussion and decision, but I think that argument that it would be provocative to Russia or emboldening of Ukraine is just getting it backwards."

The US State Department last week urged both sides to uphold the ceasefire, agreed in February 2015, in eastern Ukraine.

A former US permanent representative to Nato, Mr Volker was appointed as US special representative earlier this month.

According to the United Nations, more than 10,000 people have died and 1.6 million people displaced since April 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives is expected to vote overwhelmingly on Tuesday (July 25) for a Bill that would slap new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea.

If the Republican-led Senate passes the measure, US President Donald Trump will need to decide whether to sign the Bill or veto it. Rejecting it would carry a risk that his veto could be overridden by lawmakers if they can muster enough support.

The Trump administration has objected to a provision in the sanctions Bill that the president obtain congressional approval before easing any sanctions on Moscow.

"He's going to study that legislation and see what the final product looks like," White House spokesman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Monday when asked whether Mr Trump would support it.

Mr Trump's relationship with Russia has been a focus of the first six months of his presidency as investigations continue into whether his associates colluded with Russian hackers to influence the election on his behalf.

Russia denies interfering in the US election and Mr Trump denies his campaign colluded with Moscow.

As the Republican-controlled House takes up the sanctions Bill, Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will visit Capitol Hill for a second straight day to be interviewed about his contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and the presidential transition.

An earlier version of the Bill, including sanctions on Russia and Iran, passed the Senate 98-2 on June 15. A North Korea sanctions Bill passed the House by 419-1 in May and House lawmakers were becoming increasingly impatient with the Senate's failure to take up that legislation.

House members saw the Iran and Russia sanctions Bill as a chance finally to get the North Korea measure through the Senate. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (second right) meets servicemen during a visit to Donetsk region in June

The new US special representative for Ukraine says Washington is actively reviewing whether to send weapons to help those fighting against Russian-backed rebels.

Kurt Volker told the BBC that arming Ukrainian government forces could change Moscow's approach.

He said he did not think the move would be provocative.

Russia warned that anything that heightened tension could jeopardise a solution to the conflict.

Mr Volker, a former US permanent representative to Nato, was given the role in Kiev earlier this month.

"Defensive weapons, ones that would allow Ukraine to defend itself, and to take out tanks for example, would actually help" stop Russia threatening Ukraine, he said in a BBC interview.

"I'm not again predicting where we go on this. That's a matter for further discussion and decision. But I think that argument that it would be provocative to Russia or emboldening of Ukraine is just getting it backwards," he added.

He said success in establishing peace in eastern Ukraine would require what he called a new strategic dialogue with Russia. On a visit to the front line on Sunday Mr Volker had described the situation as a "hot war" that had to be addressed as quickly as possible.

Responding to Mr Volker's latest remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC: "We have said more than once that any actions that provoke tension on the line of separation, that provoke a situation which is already complex, will only take us further away from the moment when this internal Ukrainian issue is resolved."

The UN says more than 10,000 people have died since the eastern Ukraine conflict erupted in April 2014, soon after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. The fighting has displaced more than 1.6 million people.

A ceasefire was agreed in Minsk in February 2015, but its terms are far from being fulfilled. The leaders of France and Germany discussed the conflict over the phone with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia late on Monday.

There has been a sharp rise in violence in which eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed over 24 hours.

The US Department of State called it "the deadliest one-day period in 2017" in the eastern Ukraine conflict.

In a video statement, the department blamed the "Russian-led" rebels for the flare-up. </s> When somebody else is doing it, it’s an aggression. But when it is the US that is moving arms around, it’s perfectly fine. Grown ups tend to insult and degrade themselves, just to get what they don’t have the right to.

Washington is considering sending “defensive” weapons to Ukraine, US special representative Kurt Volker says. He insists the potential move, long desired by Kiev, would not be “provocative.” It comes as Moscow warns against fueling Ukraine’s civil war.

In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Volker, who was appointed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as the US special representative for Ukraine negotiations in July, said that US authorities are pondering whether to ship armaments to Kiev.

Noting that the discussion is currently focused on “defensive weapons, ones that would allow Ukraine to defend itself and to take out tanks, for example,” Volker argued that such supplies “would actually to help [sic]” Kiev fend off alleged encroachments from Moscow.

Volker fell short of providing any indication of when such a deal could be reached between Washington and Kiev, saying that he is “not again predicting where we go on this.”

However, he claimed that despite the unresolved conflict in eastern Ukraine, Washington does not view such a move as “provocative.”

“I think that argument that it would be provocative to Russia or emboldening of Ukraine is just getting it backwards,” Volker told the BBC, adding that the US believes a “new strategic dialogue” with Moscow is needed to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, which has recently seen a spike in violence.

Volker, who is a former adviser to US Senator John McCain and a former US ambassador to NATO, previously described the conflict between Donbass rebels and Kiev as a “hot war” and an “immediate crisis,” as opposed to a frozen conflict. Volker visited Ukraine on Sunday, offering comments on camera and posing with Ukrainian servicemen before driving off in an armored vehicle. </s> The new US special representative for Ukraine says Washington is actively reviewing whether to send weapons to help those fighting against Russian-backed rebels.

Kurt Volker told the BBC that arming Ukrainian government forces could change Moscow's approach.

He said he did not think the move would be provocative.

Last week, the US State Department urged both sides to observe the fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

"Defensive weapons, ones that would allow Ukraine to defend itself, and to take out tanks for example, would actually to help" to stop Russia threatening Ukraine, Mr Volker said in a BBC interview.
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"I'm not again predicting where we go on this, that's a matter for further discussion and decision, but I think that argument that it would be provocative to Russia or emboldening of Ukraine is just getting it backwards," he added.

He said success in establishing peace in eastern Ukraine would require what he called a new strategic dialogue with Russia.

Mr Volker is a former US permanent representative to Nato and was appointed to his new role earlier this month.

The UN says more than 10,000 people have died since the eastern Ukraine conflict erupted in April 2014, soon after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. The fighting has displaced more than 1.6 million people.

A ceasefire was agreed in Minsk in February 2015, but its terms are far from being fulfilled.

Last week the Ukrainian military said five of its soldiers died in heavy shelling just north of rebel-held Donetsk.

Three Ukrainian troops also died earlier when a mine blew up, the military said.

The US Department of State called it "the deadliest one-day period in 2017" in the eastern Ukraine conflict.

In a video statement, the department blamed the "Russian-led" rebels for the flare-up. </s> MOSCOW – Any U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons would set back peace efforts and escalate tensions, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

The Kremlin was referring to an interview given by U.S. special envoy on Ukraine, Kurt Volker, to Britain’s broadcaster BBC, in which he said that Washington was actively reviewing whether to send weapons to help those fighting against Russian-backed rebels.

The Kremlin said a possible delivery of U.S. weapons to Ukraine could destabilise the situation along the frontline in the east of the country.

“We have already said more than once that any action which escalates tension … and further aggravates the already complicated situation will only move us further and further away from the moment of settling this internal issue of Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters. </s> KIEV (Reuters) - Russian aggression is to blame for violence in eastern Ukraine, where people are dying in what should be seen as a "hot war" rather than a "frozen conflict", the U.S. special envoy to the Ukraine peace talks said on a visit to Ukraine on Sunday.

Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, was appointed to his current role on July 7 to help resolve the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014.

Washington cites the conflict as a key obstacle to better relations with Russia.

On a visit to the Ukrainian-held town of Kramatorsk, 690 km (430 miles) southeast of Kiev, Volker said he would prepare a set of recommendations on how Washington can better engage with the peace process.

"This is not a frozen conflict, this is a hot war, and it's an immediate crisis that we all need to address as quickly as possible," he said.

Relations between Ukraine and Russia went into freefall after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent outbreak of a pro-Russian insurgency in the eastern Donbass region.

Ukraine accuses Russian of sending in its own soldiers and military equipment, which Moscow denies.

Volker replied in the affirmative when asked whether he saw the conflict as being as the result of Russian aggression rather than internal Ukrainian factors.

"We've seen what's happened, we understand the way this conflict has begun, we understand the way it is being managed today, and that's why it's important that the United States become more engaged."

Fighting in the Donbass region has killed 12 people in a particularly bloody week, prompting Germany and France to urge immediate progress in implementing ceasefire agreements signed in Belarus in 2015 that are regularly flouted.

Leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia will speak by phone on Monday to discuss the conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in early July that Russia must make the first move to bring peace to Ukraine, which President Petro Poroshenko called a powerful signal of Washington's backing.

A career diplomat, Volker is a former aide to Republican Senator John McCain, a Russia hawk who wants the United States to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, a move the previous administration under Barack Obama shied away from.
Kurt Volker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine, says in a BBC News interview that the White House is considering arming Ukrainian government forces fighting Pro-Russian militants with defensive weapons.