YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. The Senate passed a bill on defense spending in the 2016 fiscal year. This includes the provisions relating to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine. The total amount of funds allocated to military purposes, is 612 billion, reported Reuters. For the decision voted by 70 senators, 27 opposed. Earlier this document was approved by the House of Representatives. "Armenpress" informed about this, citing TASS.

The bill inter alia, envisages to provide assistance to Ukraine in the form of lethal weapons, notes the TV channel Fox News. In the document the head of the Pentagon is given permission by agreement with the state Department to exercise its right to supply weapons. In total, for the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, which consists in the transmission of intelligence information, supplies anti-tank weapons, mortars, grenade launchers, small arms, there are plans to allocate 300 million dollars.

The document also allowed using $ 600 million to Finance the program of training of fighters of the so-called moderate Syrian opposition. The Minister of defence will require the additional approval of the Congress. Another 715 million permitted to be spent on assistance to the Iraqi forces in fighting is prohibited in the Russian Federation terrorist group «Islamic state».

As previously TASS said one of the authors of the document, the head of the Committee, the Senate armed services Committee, Republican Senator John McCain, now the Ukrainian army has nothing to oppose military equipment of the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass. «So (anti-tank missile systems) Javelin — one of the key weapons that, in our view, we must provide», he said.

Along with this, Kiev can be passed counter-mortar radars, «tactical unmanned system surveillance from the air», secure communications and electronic warfare. Finally, from the aforesaid amount allowed to spend money on training «of the armed forces and other security forces of the government of Ukraine».

After approval by the Senate, the text will be sent to the President, who will probably use the veto, as the administration initially opposed this document. «I think we are going to oppose this bill,» said one of the press briefings the press Secretary of the President Josh Ernest, calling inherent in the mechanism of financing of the defense sphere «irresponsible».

In the White house, in particular, do not agree with what the authors are trying to avoid spending cuts, taking money from special so-called «emergency funds».

To date the U.S. has allocated $ 265 million for equipment and training «the Ukrainian security forces and border officials to help Ukraine better monitor and control on the border», as well as to protect the integrity of the state. American aid, in particular, includes armored vehicles, radars, counter-battery, night vision devices, body armor and medical equipment.