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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko secured 46 million dollars military aid from the United States on Thursday, but his demand for lethal weaponry was turned down by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Poroshenko, who is on his first visit to the U.S., on Thursday asked U.S. Congress for more support to fight the rebels in the country's eastern regions.
While addressing a joint session of U.S. Congress, the Ukrainian leader said his soldiers "urgently" need more military equipment, both "lethal and non-lethal."
"Blankets, night vision goggles are also important, but one cannot win the war with blankets," he said. "Even more, we cannot keep the peace with a blanket."
In response, the White House announced the new aid for Ukraine's military and border guards, including military equipment such as counter-mortar radars, body armor, binoculars, small boats and other gears.
However, Obama turned down Poroshenko's demand for weaponry and pledged to seek a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
"It's simply the judgment of the president that the best way for us to resolve, or for the situation in Ukraine to be resolved, is through negotiations between the Ukrainian central government and the Russian-backed separatists in the east," White House spokesman Josh Earnest explained.
Obama also called for seeking a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
"In addition to the concrete expressions of support through security assistance and economic assistance, we are going to continue to help to mobilize the international community toward a diplomatic solution," Obama said after meeting with Poroshenko at the White House.
He also praised the Ukrainian leader for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and pass legislation offering more autonomy to the regions there.
"Those were not easy laws that President Poroshenko passed, but I think they indicated his commitment to an inclusive Ukraine, his commitment to a Ukraine that has decentralization and empowers local communities," Obama said.
"I have great confidence that President Poroshenko is balancing a lot of different variables here in a very difficult situation, but he's the right man for the job," he added.
Poroshenko told reporters at the White House that he was satisfied with the assistance being provided by Washington.
"The only way we can de-escalate the situation in the eastern part of our country is the peace process," he said, adding "We really hope that the ceasefire, which already lasted for 12 days, will transform into a real peace."
