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US troops to hold joint drills with Ukraine’s army in mid-2015

The drills will take place in western Ukraine's Lviv region

© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

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WASHINGTON, March 4. /TASS/. US troops plan to hold joint exercises with Ukraine’s military personnel between March 5 and October 31 at the International peacekeeping and security centre (IPSC) in Yavorov, in western Ukraine’s Lviv region, a tender on the US government website says.

The contractor "shall provide all equipment, vehicles, and personnel" necessary for ground transportation in accordance with the ordering clause, the tender says. In particular, seven 50-passenger buses are to be provided to ferry the military personnel from the Lviv international airport to the centre.

In August 2014, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US intended to allocate $19 million to provide training and equipment for Ukraine’s National Guard forces, which include the members of the Right Sector extremist group.

Last year, the US Congress prepared the Ukraine Freedom Support Act aimed at imposing sanctions against Russia and supplying weapons to Kiev. In mid-December, US President Barack Obama signed this document, but mentioned that the US administration would not yet take advantage of the new legislation.

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Ukraine crisis Military drills

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