Russia has a place in the US military budget / Russian peacekeeper

On May 15 the US House of Representatives adopted the draft defense budget for the 2016 fiscal year, providing for the provision of assistance to Ukraine an amount of 200 million dollars.

Congressmen have decided to allocate almost 612 billion dollars for military purposes, including 89.2 billion for operations abroad - in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. However, it hadn't gone well with the administration of Barack Obama as this sum exceeds the request, prepared by the White House and the Pentagon by 38 million.

In turn, legislators did not support the president, who proposed to abandon the previously agreed budget constraints, and in addition, imposed a ban on the closure of the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. In response, Obama has threatened to impose a veto on the draft budget.

However, at the moment some provisions of the document relating to Russia are by far a lot more interesting.

Congressmen, in particular, want the administration of US President to inform them if Russia intends to sell a container-stationed mobile cruise missile complex, known as the Club-K, to any country. American experts believe that this missile system, that can be placed in a 20 or 40-foot sea shipping container, having the advantage of being fired either from ground starting positions, marine, rail or road platforms may pose increased danger in the hands of a hostile state or terrorist group.

Another amendment, prepared by the House of Representatives, requires the US Administration to adopt practical measures in case if Russia doesn't comply with the provisions of the Russia-US Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).

Members of the US House of Representatives supported an amendment proposed by Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado, providing for the suspension of funding for the implementation of the agreement for reducing strategic offensive arms (START Treaty).

According to Lamborn, START project financing should be stopped untilthe US president doesn't reassure US lawmakers that Russia no longer occupies the Ukrainian territory and respects the sovereignty of Ukraine, does not take action, going contrary to its obligations under the 1987 INF Treaty, and also of the fact that Russian side will lift restrictions on the implementation of agreements on the mutual control, in accordance with the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces. In addition, the head of the White House is to testify before US lawmakers that Kremlin is not violating START treaty requirements.

According to congressman Jim Cooper, the over emphasized anti-Russian amendment by Lamborn was included in the bill with procedure violations. In particular, it did not pass approval in the appropriate committee of the lower house.

Lambert had taken a similar initiative last year, but back then the amendment was withdrawn by the Pentagon as "mismatching US national interests." However, this time 235 people voted in favor of Doug Lamborn's amendment for the military budget, while there were only 182 were against it.

And that's not all. Not wanting to stop there, US lawmakers approved a proposal by Congressman Michael Turner, providing for limited contact with the Russian Federation on military channels.

At the moment, it seems that US lawmakers are not demonstrating a balanced position worthy of state leaders, but behave like people who have become victims of their own propaganda campaign to demonize Russia.

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Russia has a place in the US military budget

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