Petition to unblock provision of US weapons to "Azov" has received enough votes
A petition demanding negotiations with the United States to lift restrictions on the provision of weapons and other aid to the 12th Brigade of the "Azov" National Guard received enough votes to be considered in one day.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the President's website.
The petition's author, Mykola Marchenkov, stressed that Azov's fighters have confirmed their high professionalism and motivation, and that the battalion's main mission has always been to defend the homeland and fight aggressors.
However, the US Consolidated Appropriations Act contains a provision that blocks the use of US funds to support the 12th Brigade of the NGU.
Therefore, the petition calls on the President of Ukraine to instruct the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urgently negotiate with the US government to lift all restrictions.
So far, the petition has gained 25230 votes out of the 25000 required. Its status on the website: "Under consideration".
Why is Azov still not receiving Western weapons?
The Azov Special Forces Brigade does not receive Western weapons due to a US ban imposed several years ago. Earlier, the brigade's commander, Denys Prokopenko, said that "from 2017 to the present, a number of US Consolidated Appropriations Acts (Appropriations bill) contain the following amendment: "None of the funds provided by this Act may be used to provide weapons, training or other assistance to the Azov battalion".
The amendment was proposed in 2015 by Democratic Congressman John Conyers Jr. As a result, Congress passed it, as the leading media, including Foreign Affairs magazine, called Azov "openly neo-Nazi and fascist".
As a result, the Azov regiment was excluded from receiving US military aid. Azov soldiers are also not allowed to participate in exercises with NATO forces in Europe.
As Censor.NET reported, the OP's website twice rejected a petition to unblock the provision of US weapons to Azov.
