13/03/2014 19:39
US bill on Ukraine aid, sanctions advances
An American bill to give financial aid to Ukraine and authorize sanctions against individuals blamed for destabilizing the country has moved closer to becoming law after passing a committee vote in the Senate on Wednesday, RIA Novosti reported.
Aside from increasing aid money to Ukraine, the measure would take further sanctions against people responsible for violence at recent anti-government rallies in the country.
The bill, whose text is not yet public, was approved by a vote of 14-3 in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Before becoming law, it must head to the Senate and House for a full vote before being signed by US President Barack Obama.
The measure is the latest move by the United States to respond to the ongoing crisis in Crimea, an autonomous majority Russian-ethnic republic in Ukraine where a referendum is to be held Sunday on secession and annexation by Russia.