NATO states are supplying Ukraine with weapons - minister

NATO states are supplying Ukraine with weapons - minister

KIEV -- NATO members have begun to supply weapons to Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Valery Geletey.

In an interview with Ukrainian television Geletey said that he held "verbal consultations with the defense ministers of the leading countries of the world, those that can help us, and they heard us," RT is reporting.

"The supply of weapons is ongoing," he added.

This announcement came a few days after a similar statement made by an aid to the Ukrainian president caused a diplomatic scandal and a wave of denials.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who took part in the recent NATO summit, said that he had reached agreement on direct supply modern weapons with several member-countries.

He claimed that during bilateral consultations they said they were "ready to supply Ukraine with lethal and non-lethal arms, including high precision weapons and medical equipment."

NATO, however, repeatedly said it would "not send any weapons or military equipment in Ukraine."

At the same time, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the alliance would not interfere if member states made decisions of their own regarding arms supply to Ukraine, the Russiam website has reported.

Previously, Poroshenko's assistant Yuri Lutsenko took to Facebook and wrote that the United States, along with France, Italy, Poland and Norway, would send "modern weapons" to Ukraine. But the countries he mentioned said they "had no information" about this.

Last Sunday U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel "was the first to deny the arms delivery, saying he was not aware of a secret deal to supply Ukraine...