Boehner, other top U.S. House members urge weapons for Ukraine

Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz addresses a news conference at the Chancellery in Warsaw, February 19, 2015. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and other senior Republican and Democratic House members urged U.S. President Barack Obama to quickly authorise lethal weapons for Ukraine as it battles Russian-backed separatists, according to a letter released on Thursday.

"We urge you to quickly approve additional efforts to support Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereign territory, including through the transfer of lethal, defensive weapons systems to the Ukrainian military," they wrote in a letter, dated Wednesday and signed by eight Republicans and three Democrats.