December 21, 2017 (UNIAN) The U.S. State Department has
approved an export license for Ukraine to buy certain light weapons and small
arms from U.S. manufacturers, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Wednesday,
according to Reuters. "Under the previous two administrations, the U.S.
government has approved export licenses to Ukraine, so this is nothing
new," Nauert said, Reuters said. Department records show Ukraine has
bought small amounts of those types of weapons for several years, both before
and after the 2014 Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. The
department notified Congress of the decision on December 13, Nauert said, adding
that the U.S. government was not selling the weapons directly to the Kyiv
government but was allowing Ukraine to buy from U.S. manufacturers. Nauert said
the U.S. government had not directly provided lethal defensive equipment to
Ukraine, nor had it ruled out doing so. U.S. exporters can apply for direct
commercial sales licenses at any time and those are reviewed by the State
Department on a case-by-case basis, she said. Read also Canada determines
Ukraine as appropriate destination for inclusion on firearms control list The
license covers weapons in categories such as semi-automatic and automatic
firearms up to, and including, .50 caliber weapons. It also includes combat
shotguns, silencers, military scopes, and flash suppressors, as well as parts.
According to The Washington Post, administration officials confirmed that the
State Department this month approved a commercial license authorizing the
export of Model M107A1 Sniper Systems, ammunition, and associated parts and
accessories to Ukraine, a sale valued at $41.5 million. "There has been no
approval to export the heavier weapons the Ukrainian government is asking for,
such as Javelin antitank missiles," The Washington Post wrote.
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