WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department said Tuesday canceling a $900 million contract with Russia to supply helicopter parts in Afghanistan would hurt U.S. interests.
Responding to questions about a letter written by 17 U.S. senators asking the United States to cancel the contract with Russian arms export company Rosoboronexport, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters the contract is necessary to help Afghanistan take responsibility for its own security.
"Were this contract to be canceled, it would, you know, seriously hurt our effort to get the Afghans increasingly into the lead of their own security," Nuland said, adding, "The Afghan government is not in a position in its current state to fund all of its own existing security requirements. …
"We got into this particular contract because there are requirements of the Afghan military that need to be supported. And it's not clear if this were cut off how we would be able to meet that particular need," Nuland said, noting she wasn't offering an opinion "one way or the other with regard to the senators' letter."
The senators are seeking the cancellation of the contract because of Russia's involvement in supplying the Syrian army with arms.
"We obviously share the intent, which is to persuade Russia to end its arms supply to Syria. This is something that the secretary, that the president, that at this podium we've been speaking about for weeks and months," Nuland said.
