U.S. Halts Aid Over Alleged Ukraine-Iraq Ties
The United States has stopped tens of millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, suspicious that the former Soviet republic may have sold a military system to Iraq that could help bring down American planes, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
Allegations have swirled for months about a military transfer, but this is the first time the U.S. government acknowledged any belief that it might have taken place.
The Bush administration has received information suggesting that the Kolchuga radar system, made in Ukraine, may have reached Iraq, with implications for U.S. and British pilots patrolling “no-fly” zones there, the official said.
“We have informed the Ukrainian government and NATO allies that we have reached this assessment, that there has been a pause in certain types of assistance and that a policy review is underway,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said $55 million that had been set aside for Ukraine in fiscal 2002 had been put on hold.
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