US to provide USD 300 million military aid to Ukraine in 2020

Washington/Kiev: The US national defence policy bill for the fiscal year 2020 has authorised USD 300 million in military aid to Ukraine and also imposed sanctions against a new Russia-Germany pipeline.

"The National Defence Authorisation Act signed by President Trump strengthens US security assistance to Ukraine and reaffirms strong bipartisan US support to Ukraine," the US embassy in Kiev said in a statement.

President Donald Trump had last week signed the bill into law after it was approved by the Congress.

The United States is a strategic partner for Ukraine in defence and security fields, providing the biggest support for the country since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine in April 2014.

In addition, the Act further targeted the Nord Stream 2, an undersea pipeline that will allow Russia to increase gas exports to Germany, saying that the pipeline may become a "tool of coercion" if not terminated.

"The National Defence Authorisation Act also included sanctions against Nord Stream 2. If not stopped, Nord Stream 2 would seriously undermine European regional energy security and provide Russia a tool to coerce Ukraine and other European partners," the statement read.

The almost USD11bn (£8.4bn) Nord Stream 2 project has infuriated the US, with both Republican and Democratic lawmakers opposing it.

According to media reports, the Trump administration fears the pipeline will tighten Russia's grip over Europe's energy supply and reduce its own share of the lucrative European market for American liquefied natural gas.

However, the development has come just days after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted on December 18 to impeach Trump, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate.