Cotton Calls For ‘Lethal Weaponry’ For Ukrainians, Critical Of Cease-Fire With Russia
by February 12, 2015 7:51 pm 96 views
The reported cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine is just another example of appeasement, Arkansas’ Republican junior senator Tom Cotton said Thursday.
“The cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia is yet another victory for Vladimir Putin’s revanchist campaign against the West. The terms are almost identical to the failed cease-fire from last September that only emboldened Russia,” Cotton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday.
“Now, Putin has killed more innocent people and seized more territory and will get greater autonomy for eastern Ukraine, in exchange for nothing more than promising to keep his already-broken promises,” Cotton added.
Cotton, who cast blame on President Barack Obama, also called on the U.S. to arm Ukraine with weapons capable of doing more than just defending its territory.
“Regrettably, we’re here today largely because of President Obama’s appeasement of Putin, which started the moment President Obama took office and continues today. His failure to support our allies has repeatedly empowered Russia and undermined American interests, from Ukraine to Syria to Egypt and points in between. The United States should move immediately to provide lethal weaponry to Ukraine and President Obama must stop accommodating Vladimir Putin before he threatens our NATO allies and further destabilizes Europe.”
Officials from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany met Thursday to discuss the cease-fire deal criticized by Cotton. After 17 hours of talks, a deal was brokered, the British newspaper The Guardian reported.
The cease-fire is supposed to take effect Sunday. However, some people believe the cease-fire is tenuous at best.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the meeting was seen as a last opportunity to end the battle between the Ukrainians and Russian-backed separatists.
At least 5,400 people have been killed in the fighting while a cease-fire there last fall fell apart, WSJ reported.