Based on a memorandum issued by the White House on Wednesday, President Obama has authorized the Secretary of State John Kerry to pay the Ukrainian government an additional $25 million.
In the memorandum, Kerry has been asked by Obama to direct at least $5 million in defense articles and service of the Department of Defense and military training as well as $20 million in nonlethal commodities and services of any agency of the United States government.
Clearly, this amount has been authorized so as to bolster the efforts of the Ukrainian government towards the current crisis.
It was just last week that US Senate Foreign Relations Committee had passed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act that offered assistance up to $350 million in all to the Ukrainian government, and which includes anti-tank and anti-armor weapons as well as surveillance drones operated by tactical troops.
Although, the bill has not been adopted just yet, it has been drafted after the visit of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to Washington where he pleaded with Congress to assist the government in regard to the crisis.
It was in mid-April that Kiev authorities launched a military operation to suppress independence supporters located in southeast Ukraine, who were clearly against the government that came into power following the coup in February this year.
It was on September 5 that the Ukrainian government and independent supporters decided to declare a ceasefire as well as an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange in a meeting in Minsk involving the Contact Group of Ukraine.