Rada chairman says both security and economic support important to Ukraine

Support for Ukraine's national security in the form of aid with lethal weapons is just as important for the country as the economic support, Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy has said.

"We also are aware that the hostilities in the occupation army will step up in the nearest future. And with regard to international events, this activity will be stepped up for destabilizing the situation within our country," the speaker said at a meeting with United States Secretary of State John Kerry in Kyiv on Thursday.

In his words, the Ukrainian government will not allow destabilization within the country. "We will not allow for that and we would like to count on our strategic partner, the United States of America, to help us to stop the occupation powers, the occupation troops, and we will have a steady partner as we used to have in the person of the United States of America," Parubiy said.