KIEV, December 30. /TASS/. During a visit to Yavorov firing range in western Ukraine’s Lviv Region Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko handed around 100 units of military hardware and weapons produced and repaired at domestic military enterprises to servicemen of Ukrainian army deployed in western regions, the Ukrainian presidential press service reported Tuesday.
“Next year for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine defense budget will make 5% of GDP or 90 billion hryvnas ($5.6 billion),” Poroshenko told the military at an international peacekeeping and security center at Hetman Pyotr Sagaidachny Academy of Ground Troops.
- Ukraine’s president wants defense factories to work in three shifts
- Ukraine sets task of building Europe's strongest army, returning Crimea — security chief
- Ukraine's non-bloc status cancelled, referendum on NATO accession due in 5-6 years
- Ukrainian state corporation, US company sign deal on weapons supplies
Ukrainian military forces received T-64BV tanks, 203mm Pion self-propelled howitzers, command vehicles, KrAZ Spartan armoured vehicles, Mil Mi-8 and Mi-2 helicopter gunships, engineer combat vehicles, sanitary vehicles, Fort assault rifles, the presidential press service said. The head of state presented the military with certificates for US-made counter-mortar fire stations and two repaired Mi-8 choppers from the presidential air fleet which were handed for the needs of the Ukrainian army.
Poroshenko has studied new models of weapons and military hardware of Ukrainian and foreign production, the press service said.