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Russia FM doubts US training of Ukrainian forces can be efficient

Around 300 US airborne troops of the 173rd brigade of the US Army arrived last week in Ukraine to train Ukrainian servicemen to conduct combat actions

Ukrainian soldiers EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Ukrainian soldiers

© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

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MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday the efficiency of training of Ukrainian troops by US instructors is in doubt.

"The United States says it has been training the Ukrainian army for already 20 years. But the army in Ukraine was in tatters," Lavrov said in an interview with three radio stations, Ekho Moskvy, Sputnik and Govorit Moskva. "The US trained army in Afghanistan and Iraq. How successful are they in the fight against terrorism?" he said.

Around 300 US airborne troops of the 173rd brigade of the US Army arrived last week in Ukraine to train Ukrainian servicemen to conduct combat actions.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich said the United States’ sending its airborne troops to Ukraine can be seen as the first step towards supplies of state-of-the-art US weapons as the training program includes drilling skills in handling weapons and hardware of Western standards.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov

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