Trump could be offered $47 million option to arm Ukraine – media

04.11.2017 15:00

Ukrinform

President Donald Trump could be presented with an option to approve a $47 million grant to allow the Ukrainian government to purchase American defense arms aimed at deterring aggression from pro-Russian separatists.

Three State Department officials said this to ABC News.

National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster has been presented with three options for arming the Ukrainians as outlined in an interagency memo sent last week to the National Security Council. Of those three options, the State Department and Defense Department are advocating for the $47 million arms package funding, according to a State Department source.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis have been in discussions since June about how to best make the sale which could include anti-tank missiles that require approval from the president and congress.

A State Department official cautioned that the proposal is unlikely to get approval while Trump is on a 13-day foreign trip to Asia.

The State Department declined to comment on the details of the recommendation.