$350 million for Ukraine so that it can afford what it needs, and almost $5 billion for the deterrence of Russia. This is only an extract from the 2018 US military budget. President Trump called it a big pile of paper. What does it all mean? How did Trump lose to Obama?
Alexander Khristenko reports from the US.
The hope of the US Navy, the newest Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer has broken down yet again. The test had to be cut short after the failure of the power stabilization system. Earlier a similar ship suffered a leakage in the propulsion system and a breakdown of coolers. The demonstration of the unique cannon, whose single shot costs $800,000 didn't take place. But the money isn't the problem.
President Trump: "I won't show you everything, there is a lot of paper here." Trump signed the $700B military budget into law. He also attributed the victory over ISIS to the US. As you know, we gained victory in Syria and Iraq, but the terrorists are fleeing to other regions".
He didn't even mention Russia that played the key role in defeating ISIS. On the contrary, our country is mentioned as a threat to the US national security and interests. The document prolongs the ban on the cooperation with the Russian Defense Ministry and obliges Trump to report to the Congress on any Trump's agreements with Moscow on Syria.
$4.6 billion is allocated to the deterrence of the so-called Russian aggression in Europe. It is clearly stated in a separate section. Military assistance, possibly for lethal weapons, in the amount of $350 million goes to Ukraine. The US plans to train the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and provide medical treatment for them in the US. Crimea remains a thorny subject in Washington.
Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State: "We will return to the Crimean issue at some point".
Meanwhile, Trump's team suffered another defeat in an internal political battle. Despite the president's support, the Republican candidate to the Senate from Alabama, Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct with a minor, lost to Democrat Doug Jones. The military budget, however, didn't cause disagreement between the parties.
It's the first time in 7 years that the US is increasing its military, which is already 1.4 million people, and allotted $58 million for research on creating a new land-based medium- and short-range missile. It's logical that the next step will be a pilot program, which will be a direct violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on the elimination of such weapons. If the US withdraws from the treaty it will jeopardize the security of the entire European continent, to say the least.
Alexander Khristenko, Nikolai Koskin, Elena Sokolova, Vesti, Washington DC, USA
