WASHINGTON, May 5. /TASS/. The US military is ramping up its weapons training for Ukrainian forces, the Hill reported on Wednesday.
Hundreds of Ukrainians are now being trained on artillery systems, drones and radars at multiple locations in Europe, the US newspaper said citing Pentagon officials.
So far, "more than 220 Ukrainians have been trained on US artillery, particularly the M777 Howitzer," the newspaper said. "Another 20 Ukrainian soldiers on Sunday finished a week-long training course on the newly developed Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial system, 121 of which are being sent to Ukraine," it added. A senior US defense official said another 50-plus Ukrainians would begin their training later this week.
The US goal is to get Ukrainians back as soon as possible, so that they can train others within their army, the newspaper reported.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in response to a request for help from the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country. The US and its allies responded with severe sanctions and ramped up weapons supplies to Kiev.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has warned that the West’s efforts to militarize Ukraine are a direct threat to European and global security. Moscow is calling on the sponsors of the Kiev regime to stop promoting bloodshed and think about the consequences of their actions, the diplomat said.