The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a resolution urging President Barack Obama to provide lethal military aid to Ukraine to combat Russia's "aggression."
The resolution was adopted Monday by a 348-48 vote, according to the House website.
The appeal "strongly urges" Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons systems "to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity" against Moscow-backed separatists in the country's east, according to the text of the document published on the House website.
"The Russian Federation under President Vladimir Putin has engaged in relentless political, economic, and military aggression to subvert the independence and violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the resolution said, citing Moscow's annexation of Crimea last spring and its support for separatists in the east.
The Obama administration in recent months has contemplated the possibility of providing lethal weapons to Ukraine amid widespread Congressional calls to do so, but has warned that the move could lead to an escalation of violence in the region.
