U.S. still undecided on supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. president has still not decided whether to supply lethal weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces. The matter is under consideration, and the decision will depend on the situation in the conflict zone, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in an interview published by Gazeta.ru.

The most preferable option for the U.S. and the international community is the observance of the Minsk agreements, which includes the termination of fighting along the line of contact and the withdrawal of Russian military hardware, instructors, and support forces from Ukrainian territory, she said.

Asked whether the U.S. could speed up the peace process in Ukraine and whether it could join the Normandy format of negotiations for this purpose, Nuland said the matter had been addressed at Secretary of State John Kerry\'s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, when the two discussed how the U.S. could help accelerate the implementation of the Minsk agreements and how it could support Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE\'s efforts in the trilateral discussions on settling the conflict.

However, it became clear at the meeting that Russia was not interested in the U.S. formally becoming a participant in the Normandy format, she said.

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